


Unravel Me

by HomicidalGage



Series: The Fall of Stars [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Agender Pidge | Katie Holt, Amnesia, Anger, Canonical Character Death, Depressed Lance (Voltron), Depression, Embarassment, Eventual Keith/Lance (Voltron), Fighting, Fist Fighting, Frustration, Gay Keith (Voltron), Grappling, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Implied/Referenced Suicide, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Fluff, M/M, Near Death, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Pining Keith (Voltron), SHIDGE, Self-Harm, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, War, klance, learning, martial arts keith, possible shlance, shiro needs to learn to knock, walking in at the wrong time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2018-12-05 08:24:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 23,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11574204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HomicidalGage/pseuds/HomicidalGage
Summary: A new threat arises to the Voltron crew, and Lance is right in the middle of it, dragging Keith down with him. Revelations are made, and feelings are tested. Keith is forced to face what he thinks of Lance, and.....lskdjflskdj flkjsdfk byeLook at this great summary.(PetiteSalope, if you're reading this, aren't I just an amazing writer. Be proud. XD)





	1. Shatter

He doesn't remember very much. One second he had his bayard, the next it was sliding across the ground. He doesn't even remember the fight, but he knows he should be dead. His mind swims as the healing pod opens. He looks up to meet the eyes of the Black Paladin.

"Shiro-" his voice cracks, as he steps out, keeping his head tilted down.

"Lance," the Black Paladin sighs, running his hands down his cheeks. "You're going to be attacked with questions. I told them to hold off, and go eat, but, I just-" He shakes his head. "What happened...?" The Blue Paladin feels his lip quiver, but bites the insides of his cheeks, choking down the sudden emotion.

"I'm not sure. I'm...I'm sorry Shiro. I let all of you down," Shiro grabs Lance's shoulders.

"The big thing is are you okay?" He nods and his leader motions forward.

"You haven't been that injured since the castle was invaded. It's going to be a mess of emotions." His arm shoots out, colliding with the young paladin's chest. "No matter what, don't kill Keith." 

"No promises," Lance grins as they travel to the kitchen, where everyone is waiting. 

The first one in his face is Hunk, followed by Pidge and Allura. Everyone is talking at once. He can only make out bits and pieces.

"Are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"Why didn't you call for help?"

He hears his name said several hundreds, of billions of times. Allura eventually quelled her wild curiosity, and quieted the room. She goes to say something, but Keith beats her to it, looking up from his corner.

"You idiot. How many times are we going to have to peel your lifeless body off the ground?" Shiro's hand presses into Lance's chest as he subconsciously moves forward.

"I don't need another paladin being sent back into the healing pods, again. One is enough." He takes a deep breath, and brushes the Black Paladin's hand away. Turning his attention towards Allura, he moves the Red Pladin to the back of his mind. He would be dealt with later. The Altean princess looks at Lance, unsettled.

"You're going to have to give us a debriefing, Lance." He nods, sitting down, and tries to bring his thoughts together.

"I was fighting Galra like everyone else, but....but then one showed up..that...this-" He frowns in concentration, not understanding why he can't remember. "They just moved differently. He wasn't...there at first, but all the sentries parted to let him through.

"This Galra wasn't a sentry?" Coran's ears twitch in interest. "That's all the others were fighting."

"I-" Lance groans in frustration, furrowing his brows. "I'm sorry. I'm having trouble remembering. I don't think they were a sentry, but it's all so hay. If I remember right, this Galra showed up, and all the sentries stopped. Then I...and then," Remembering, Lance shoots out of his seat, "My bayard! I lost my bayard!" He looks around panicked, but Shiro eases him back down.

"Don't worry, we have it. Just focus on what happened next. Can you remember anything else?" Lance concentrates, taking deep breaths once more. There's something important. Something he has to tell them, but the more he tries to rememeber, the more it all slips away.

"Not really. I remember being on the ground, then a flash of red, and that's it."

"That flash of red was me, idiot." Keith growls. Lance rolls his eyes.

"I'm starting to wonder if you have the capability of calling me anything other than idiot."

"Lance, I don't need this from you, yo-" Allura slaps her hands together.

"Enough, you two! Keith, did you see this Galra?"

"No, I didn't. All I saw were sentries. I think he hit his head harder than we thought."

"I'm sure that Galra was there! I didn't make it up. He wasn't a sentry!" Lance shakes his head, forcing information the the surface. "He didn't have a weapon. I definitely remember he didn't have a weapon." Allura's ears twitch, and she sits up straighter.

"If this Galra relies more on hand to hand combat it makes sense that he needed to get your bayard away from you!"

"How'd he do it, though?" Pidge pipes up. A frustrated noise escapes Lance's lips.

"I don't know."

"Bull! I'm not believing any of this for a tick!" Keith moves away from the wall he had been leaning against.

"I don't think I asked you for your opinion, hot head."

"You know what, Lance? I think you do remember, you're just too embarrassed to admit a few sentries wiped the floor with you. What really happened?" Lance stands up, nearly knocking his chair into the Black Paladin standing behind him.

"I'd make a mamma joke, but oh wait, you don't have one!" He hisses through gritted teeth. The room dead pans. Eyes widen. Fists tighten. His shoulder gets yanked, hard. His leader looks at him with fury filled eyes. "I'll be in my room." He pulls away, and goes to walk out of the kitchen, when a wave of dizziness overcomes him. He stumbles forward, and falls to the ground, eyes fluttering closed. It's enough to break Shiro out of his anger. He quickly kneels down, checking Lance's vitals.

"I don't understand. He just got out of the healing pod. He should be fine. He looks at Allura as she rushes over.

"Loss of memory, dizziness, fainting. I wonder if," She kneels down and moves Lance's hair back from his neck. Right where she looks lies a small pinprick. "Poisoned. I thought so. We have to get him to his room."

"Poisoned?" Shiro's eyes widen in fright. "What are we going to do?" Allura shakes her head.

"If it is what I think it is, it's not lethal. Someone just didn't want him remembering something. He's going to have waves of nausea for just a few ticks. Rest is the best thing right now." 

"Why didn't the healing pods fix it?" Pidge asks, standing up.

"The chambers aren't built to handle anything injected. Shiro, do you think you can take Lance back to his room?" The Black Paladin nods, moving Lance onto his back. The young paladin's eyes open slightly, and his fingers grasp at Shiro's hand.

"Shiro," he mumbles," Shiro the Glara..." The boy moves his head to the side, eyes closing once more.

""Come on." Shiro picks him up, and disappears out in tho the hallway. Allura sighs.

""Coran, let's get off this planet. It's all we can do for now." The two leave, leaving what's left of the paladins in the room. Keith stares towards the doorway, overwhelmed with frustration. This earns a chuckle from Pidge.

""He called out for Shiro. Isn't that interesting?" Pidge adjusts their glasses, grinning at Keith.

""Why do I care?" The Red Paladin glares, moving his eyes to the floor.

""I think mr. knight in red armor wanted credit where credit is due." Hunk looks up from his food, trying to speak with his mouth full.

""I thoh he was still upthet from e' orphan commet." Keith moves his jacket off a chair, and hangs it over his shoulder. 

""Yeah, that's why." he grumbles, walking out of the room. The Red Paladin walks down the hall trying to clear his thoughts. "Who am I angry at?" he whispers. An image of Lance laying on the ground, bruised up, blood running from the corners of his lips, flashes through his mind. Keith had to fight off sentries surrounding Lance like a wall just to get to him. Shiro had shown up when Keith was dealing with the last couple of them. It was Shiro who spotted Lance's bayard, and picked up his helmet. He had offered to carry Lance as well, but in a fit of unreasonable jealousy Keith had insisted it be him. He doesn't quite understand why, and he definitely doesn't want to figure it out now.

""Knight in red armor, right" He rolls his eyes and makes his way towards his room.


	2. Questionable Statements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A proposition is made, and is Allura telling the truth?

"He tried to get up, nearly fell on his face, again. I thought you said a few ticks." The Black Paladin looks at the Princess with concern.

"It's a, what you humans call, figure of speech. Your team was already riled up, and yelling, and- I just needed for their leader, at least, to be calm. I know he's going to be fine. He should be okay rather soon. It just takes time to flush out of one's system." Shiro sighs resting his head in his hands.

"He's been mumbling in his sleep. Keeps saying things about Alteans and Galras, but I can't really make anything out of it."

"That's odd. Galras is understandable, but Alteans?"

"I don't know, maybe he'll remember more when this is out of his system." They sit in silence for a couple ticks.

"Shiro, I was thinking," Allura shifts her position, and taps her fingers against her leg.

"Yes princess?"

"Keith is fairly good with hand to hand combat, correct?"

"Yes. I am as well."

"You see, I think Lance needs to be trained. Another incident like this and we could lose our blue paladin altogether. I’d have you train him, but you have other responsibilities. You’re busy leading the team. I was thinking, maybe Keith could, well,”

“Princess, they’d end up killing each other, and we’d end up searching for a new paladin anyway, plus one.”

“Yes, but maybe it’d make them work together, and increase their skills. To give Lance the ability to protect himself in multiple situations, a few aggression caused visits to the pods would be worth it. Maybe after Lance is trained, we could train Pidge. Pidge is small, so speed will be a plus. With Hunk’s size, having a bit of training, he’d definitely be proficient. Keith could eventually train the whole team, but I want to focus on Lance for now.” Shiro nods in thought..

“I’ll talk to Keith about it. It’ll take some convincing, though. He’s not going to like it very much.”

“If anyone can break through his stubborn ways, it’s you.” Shiro smiles, standing up, and bows.

“It’s nice to know you think I’m capable. Goodbye Allura.” She smiles, and shakes her head.

“Not think, know.” She laughs as Shiro leaves. He makes his way towards the Red Paladin’s room, bracing himself for fight. When the doors slide open he finds Keith laying on his bed, legs dangling off the edge, a towel draped across his lap...and nothing else. Shiro makes a strangled noise, and quickly turns around. Keith bolts up into a sitting position.

“Oh, hey Shiro. Knocking on, like, the wall would have been great.Give me a minute, so I can get dressed.” The Black Paladin clears his throat, nodding, and steps back into the hall. After a tick of embarrassment he begins to laugh. Stupid moments like this reminds him of how much of a family they had become. They may squabble, and yell at each other, but so do most families.

The door slides open once more revealing Keith in a “great” attempt at getting dressed. He stands in a pair of red shorts, ruffling up his hair with the towel.

“Sorry Shiro. I got out of the shower and didn’t have any motivation to get dressed. Did you need something?” Chucking, Shiro nods.

“There’s a favor Allura and I would like to ask you.” The two travel into the room, and sit down. “You’re not going to like it, but you’d be doing the entire team a favor.” The Red Paladin eyes Shiro, uncertain. “We want you to train Lance in hand to hand combat.” Shiro smiles awkwardly.

“Okay.”

“Wait, wha-”

“I said, okay. If it’s what you want, and you think it’ll benefit the team, okay.”

“Wow, Keith. That was A lot easier than I thought it’d be. I’m kind of proud of you. Well, when whatever he was injected with wears off you’ll begin training him.”

“Has Allura told you what it is?” Shiro shakes his head. “How’s...Lance doing?”

“I think he’s starting to get be-” Screams rattle down the hallway, interrupting the two paladins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really not a very good writer, so the chapters are in fact small.
> 
>  
> 
> Chapter Two:   
> In the car after crossing Sate lines into Wyoming, traveling to Bear Lake.  
> The parking lot of a marina.  
> A cabin at Bear Lake in between reading breaks.


	3. Cracks in Frame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance's poisoning is more serious than the paladins realize, and things get dangerous.

“Lance! Lance, you need to calm down. Lance, please.”

“Don’t touch me! Leave me alone!”

“Shiro! Shiro, he can’t tell it’s you!” None of them had heard someone scream like this before. It’s blood curdling, and quakes through their bones. When the screams started everyone had run to the room as fast as they possibly could. Shiro and Keith, being closest, had gotten there first. Allura had been right behind them, and Coran had come with the rest of the paladins. They walked in to see Lance in the far end of the kitchen holding a rather large knife, in defense. His eyes are bright yellow, and purple vein like markings spread from the back of his neck up to his eyes, and all around them. It’s an unnerving sight.

“A knife! How’d he get a knife? I didn’t even know we had knives like that!” Pidge shrieks.

“This is all my fault. I brought supplies in from the last planet we were at. I wanted to eat something that wasn’t tube food.” Hunk panics.

“What’s wrong with tube food?” Coran huffs.

“Would you all be quiet! Allura, what do you mean he can’t tell it’s me?” Shiro keeps himself at a distance from the Blue Paladin, shielding his team at the same time as he tries to calm Lance.

“I didn’t think phase one would progress so fast into phase two. He has Ethrite poisoning! He’s already flown through stage one. This is stage two: hallucinations.”

“Why would someone use this against us?” The overwhelmed princess looks between Lance and Shiro.

“T-to keep him quiet. The hallucinations are to scare someone out of speaking of what they saw.”

“But how many stages are there?” Pidge yells, moving forward slightly, trying to come up with a plan.

“Three.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Keith moves forward, away from Shiro’s protective stance, ready to lunge for the knife.

“I was trying to get ready. No one- No one...”

“No one what?!” the Red Paladin screams.

“No one usually makes it to stage three! Stage two,” her voice shakes in a sob, “Stage two usually ends in suicide, but I thought I could handle it.”

“That would have been great to know!” Keith surges forward, one hand pinning Lance’s arm, the other grabbing for the knife. In a flash Keith is on the ground. The arm that went for the knife has a large slash down it, and a red mark is forming on his left temple. He rolls to his side, groaning. “I don’t think he’ll need much teaching. He’s got a great left hook.” Tears begin to stream down Lance’s cheeks, and his chest rises and falls in rapid movements.

“Sta back! Stay back you freak!” Shiro takes a deep breath, and begins to walk forward slowly. There was no time to panic over Keith’s injuries.

“Lance, put down the knife.” The frightened boy jerks the knife in Shiro’s direction. He tries to back up, but collides with the wall. “Lance, it’s me. It’s Shiro. All I want to do is help. Lower the knife.” The boy’s body begins to loosen. 

“Shi..Shi-” He drops the knife, and clasps his hands to his ears. He begins to scream again. “Stop! Make it stop! Shiro! Shiro help!”

“Why is it always,” the Red Paladin stands up shaking, blood running down his arm “Shiro?!” Grabbing Lance, he twists his arm behind his back, and gets him to fall to his knees. He looks at Shiro, in a glare. “What do I do with it?” Shiro takes a deep breath, and looks to Allura.

“We have to get him to a room where we can tie him down.”

“Why can’t we take him to the pods?”

“It will freeze the stages. He needs to fight through this” She looks at Coran.

“Shiro, take him from Keith. We’ll have him all undangerous in a few ticks!” In a struggle Shiro takes a kicking and screaming Lance from Keith. Coran leads him out of the kitchen and down the hall. Keith begins to follow, but Allura grabs his shoulder.

“We need to get you to a pod.”

“I’ll just wrap it up.”

“Keith, you’re bleeding all over my floors.” He shrugs off her hand.

“Get me something to wrap it up, and find me.” Keith calmly walks out, but as soon as he’s out of sight, takes off running. He can’t see Shiro, and Coran, but he can hear the screaming. Echoing down the halls it’s a bit disorienting, but he follows his instincts. A wave of dizziness hits, and he looks down to see he’s losing more blood than he thought.

“When we have drama leave it to the Voltron paladins to multiply it by twelve, and spread it between them,” he thinks to himself. He tries to shake the woozy feeling, and slows down to a walk. The screaming fades, but he finds the room, sliding to a sitting position against the wall just outside. “What am I doing? I hate him. I-” He curls his knees into his chest. “I hate that I didn’t save him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so Keith does grab a shirt before they run to the room. I just didn't want to start there, or end the last chapter with it. 
> 
> Chapter 3:  
>  In the middle of nowhere shooting targets with a sig saver.. rainbow sig P238 - 380 calliber, and a 22.  
> While watching step family shoot exploding targets.


	4. Walking on Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith gets to personally see how stage two of Ethrite poisoning affects someone.

Keith woke up slowly. He doesn’t know when he fell asleep, or when somebody wrapped his arm, but everything was dark, and he could barely see. What woke him up was the clatter in the room behind him. Then there was the singing as the door opened.

“Some boys get too much, too much love too much touch.” Lance stumbles through the door, right past Keith. The veins have spread down his arms, and are traveling down his legs. It's getting worse. “Some boys starve themselves, stand in the mirror, and wait for the feedback.”

“What are you doing Lance?” Keith whispers. He sits up enough to get in a crouch, and slowly begins to follow, too curious to stop him. 

“Creature comfort make it painless. Bury me penniless and nameless.” Lance stops in front of the airlock and cocks his head mumbling. “Has anyone heard the one about the boy who jumped out of the airlock? It’s out of this world.” Shaking his head, he goes back to singing while he continues forward. “Born in a diamond mine, it's all around you but you can't see it. Born in a diamond mine, it's all around you but you can't touch.” He begins to walk in the direction of the training room. Keith slowly moves out of his crouch into a standing position. He’s at risk of being seen, but his curiosity keeps him moving.

“Saying God, make me famous. If you can't just make it painless. Just make it painless.” The delirious paladin swings into the training room, and his singing breaks off again. “This room won’t work. Too many protective protocols.” He runs his hands through his hair, and spins back around towards the hallway, forcing Keith to duck behind the wall.

 

The second stage usually ends in suicide. Oh God, Lance. That’s what you’re doing.” The Red Paladin slides down the hall to an area where Lance won’t see him when he walks out. 

“It’s not painless. She was a friend of mine, friend of mine. And we’re not nameless.” He stumbles into the hall and stands staring at the ceiling. He jerks his head to the side, eyes darting in paranoia. “The walls are bleeding? Why must the walls bleed? Could they really all be dead?” Lance whispers, grasping the sides of his head. “What’s going on?”

He looks wide eyed over his shoulder. “I know you’re there, monster.” He rolls his head back forward, groaning in pain. “Get out of my head.” He surges forward, and begins to sing once more, a different song. “Under the knife I surrender. The innocence yours to consume. You cut it away, and you filled me up with hate.” Lance’s steps begin to pick up in pace. “Into the silence you sent me. Into the fire consumed.” It soon transforms into a run. “You thought I’d forget, but it’s always in my head.” 

Keith tries to keep up the best he can without revealing himself. His instincts scream at him to stop Lance, or go get someone, but his heart is against it. His heart wants him to keep watching. Wait till the right moment. A pain goes through his chest as Lance’s singing mixes with sobbing. “You’re the pulse in my veins. You’re the war that I wage.” His shoulders shake. “Can you change me? Can you-? He stumbles forwards, falling. He moves so he’s sitting, staring in terror at something Keith can’t see. “Stay back! Leave me alone!” He squeezes his eyes shut. “How do I make it stop? How do I make it stop?!” 

The paladin’s eyes flutter open once more, and he looks over his shoulder in desperation. “The only way. They’re all dead anyway,” he breathes. He struggles to a standing position, and begins to run again, the best he can. He’s headed for the kitchen.

Keith prays whatever knives Hunk brought in had been removed. He doesn’t dare round the corner into the kitchen once Lance is inside, but he listens carefully. He doesn’t hear anything that would be alarming, but it’s eerily quiet. Fear jolts through his heart as Lance comes storming out of the kitchen. Keith goes unnoticed. Keith’s brows crinkle in confusion.

“Where could he possibly be going?” he thinks. He takes a deep breath, and goes to follow, but he can no longer see Lance. Panic wells up, and a strangled feeling forms in his throat. “Lance? Lance?!” He runs down the hallway, hoping this is the direction Lance chose. He tries to think of possibly dangerous places in the castle. He is suddenly overwhelmed with the possibilities.

“Go to your room,” something inside him whispers. He shakes his head, and veers around the corner, racing towards his room. “Why am I doing this? He’s not going to be in my room. Why my room?” His eyes widen. “My knife! Lance, hold on!” He gets to the doorway, and hears Lance’s voice.

“If I don’t have them...if I’m stuck out here with him I have nothing at all.” 

“Lance!” Keith screams loud enough to wake everyone up. He dives through the doorway, and towards Lance, knocking the knife out of his hand. Red trickles down from below where his collar bones come together, spilling down his clothes. He makes a choking noise, blood spilling from his lips. He begins to fall, Keith sliding to the floor with him. Keith’s eyes begin to burn, and blur as tears slip down his cheeks. “No, no Lance. Lance listen to me. Focus on my voice.” He begins to scream for help, willing Lance to hold on for as long as it takes for help to arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it sad I kind of want to draw delirious Ethrite Lance? It's my own creation..that is so sad
> 
>  
> 
> Songs used:  
> Creature Comfort by Arcade Fire  
> Monster by Starset
> 
>  
> 
> Chapter Four:  
> on a boat on bear lake


	5. A Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is taught more about the poison coursing through Lance's body.

Keith's eyes open slowly, as the healing pod opens. He steps out carefully as the haze in his vision begins to clear. He takes a deep breath, and looks around. No one seems to be waiting for him. He goes to leave, but his eyes land on another healing pod, and everything snaps back into place. 

"Lance!" He rushes over to it, pressing his hands against it. He lets out a frightened laugh, and rests his forehead against the glass surface. "You survived. Oh by the stars you survived. He rolls his shoulders, and sits next to the pod, letting the time pass, waiting. As he does so he looks at his arm. He seemed to have avoided the pods long enough that they could heal it, but not enough to avoid a scar. He runs his fingers down the mark, as a figure appears in the doorway. 

"He's not going to remember any of this." Keith's head jerks up to see Allura. "Hazy images may appear in his dreams, but none of it will feel real. That's the thing about Ethrite poisoning. It's all about forgetting." She travels over, and sits next to him. "I'm glad you were there, Keith. If you hadn't ended up in your room he wouldn't have made it."

"If I had started there he would be fine." He sighs, but his thoughts echo, "If I had stopped him in the beginning he'd be safe." 

"You helped him none the less...with such emotion as well. No one thought you particularly cared for him."

"What do you think?" Allura smiles.

"Well, I think maybe you didn't care for him at first, but in time I believe you started to see you and Lance are not all that different. Now, all I can see is the frustration in you eyes." Keith looks up at the ceiling in though.

"What do you think of Lance, Allura?" She lets out a small laugh. 

"At first I thought he was stuck up, and perverted, and utterly horrid, but I came to learn that was all a facade." Keith looks at her, doubtful. "Underneath he is so lacking in self confidence, and feels like nothing. I'm sure you saw some of that tonight. We're bound to see more, being that stage two is not over. He's so insecure to the point where I'm truly worried about him."

"I thought that maybe it was just the poisoning making him feel that way."

"The poison takes some of your darkest thoughts , and amplifies them. You need to watch when he thinks no one's looking. It's very eye opening. Hes a completely different person." Silence. Engulfing silence, leaving Keith's mind to race, and question who the real Lance is. He begins to get increasingly curious.

"Allura, what's the next stage?"

"Fever. A terrible, terrible fever. You know, you could take care of him during the fever, if he doesn't run off and attempt to end his life again. It'd help while we try to figure out what to do next."

"If he's not going to remember any of this I don't want him being pissy while I try to take care of him."

"Well, like previously stated, Ethrite poisoning is all about forgetting. He'll be so out of it during the fever he won't put up a fight, and he won't remember you taking care of him either." Keith looks at Lance with uncertainty then back at Allura.

"How do you know so much about this stuff?"

"Well, part of my education was learning about different planets and their people. The poison gets it's name from the plant it's from. That plant originates from the planet Iridia. It's people have built their lives around it. Their bodies seem to have traces of it running in them."

"Wait how do-"

"Shush. So, they have this council of seers that inject themselves with more Ethrite, but the only thing they get is the hallucinations. They think that the hallucinations hold what is to come. People from other planets started to steal the Ethrite flower to get it's poison. They wanted to hold the power this council did, and they got hit with the amnesia, and the darkness that comes from the hallucinations. Nothing but death followed after."

"If people died, and it was all from stage two, how did anyone learn about stage three?" Allura takes a deep breath.

"The Black Knights. They come from a planet of nothing but anarchy. No law. No peace. This society, the Black Knights, are basically the Alphas there. No one double crosses them. They build up both their physical and mental strength. They decided that because of their training they could handle it, and took the poison. Well, they were right. They discovered the third stage."

"Have you ever met a Black Knight?"

"No. Anyone who has met one doesn't come out of the meeting alive, except for space pirates," she snarls. "They sell it to space pirates who have turned it into a black market. That black market created the dark, corrupt reasons it's used, like with what we see in Lance."

"Why don't they just go to Iridia to get the plant themselves?"

"The Iridean people have it protected now. The Black Knights don't even dare to go back. They just stole enough that they grow it in mass quantities. It's sick." Keith shakes his head in disgust as he listens to Allura.

"That's twisted. If I ever meet a Black Kn-" 

"Good thing you never will." Allura stands up. "His pod should open soon. Tying him down didn't work, so I entrust you to take care of him." She leaves the room, leaving Keith to fume. His fuming didn't last very long. As Allura said, the pod slowly opens, and Lance's eyes snap open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're trying to figure out where this fits in the timeline of the series, it doesn't. I'm not the kind of fanfic writer that actually tries to fit it all in. I'm really bad at it. "Give me a show like Black Butler where one season just doesn't exist in reference to the plot, and I can create all new timeline for the "non existing" season. Which I'm doing: For A Demon To Dance. I actually am like promising to finish every fanfic no matter what....which means I have to finish Rin and Len, Alice Madness Returns, Black Butler, Doctor Who, a terrible crossover, Soul Eater, W.I.T.C.H., SAO, Steven Universe, and Death Note. Oh boy. Time to go look at the writing of little me...... I'm a senior now, though. Not much has improved. Get ready for a chain of crappy HomcidalGage fanfics.) I know some writers who do it really well, where they actually incorporate their story into an episode. (Shoutout to I Know You Better by forbidden_fruit_vendor) That's just not me. I just take elements from the show, and even reference exact moments. I just can't place it in timeline. Sorry if I disappoint. >~<


	6. Together We Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has to push Lance through the rest of Stage Two. A Lance he has never seen before comes out, and Keith seems to want to be near Lance more than ever

Before Lance could dive back into the craziness in his head Keith grabs him, pulling him close.

"Don't look at me. You've been hallucinating, and it isn't over yet." 

"Keith..? NO! No!" He begins to push from Keith, struggling in his arms. "Stop it! Stop talking in their voices! I'm not going to fall for it again! Let me go!" Keith winces as Lance claws at him, but keeps strong. "Leave me alone!" He slips out of Keith's grip, and runs. His escape doesn't go very well as Keith tackles him to the ground.

"Would you stop it? It's really me. Lance!" Lance's arms stretch out, and he claws at the floor, breaking his nails and grinding his fingers. Keith forces his way into a sitting position, making Lance sit in his lap.

"Calm down you idiot! It's me. Remember the first time you got injured, completely wrecked? The castle was invaded. I cradled you in my arms. I even yelled at you about it later, and you said you didn't know what I was talking about. You got handcuffed to a tree trying to run after a space chick. Whoever you think I am wouldn't know any of this. You wear facial masks to keep up your complexion. We all knew about Pidge but you."

"Is it really you?" He begins to shake violently, fingers digging into Keith's shirt. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm not good enough to be a paladin." He begins to cry. "He beat me so easy." Forgetting not to look at the Red Paladin holding him, he twists to face Keith. "He's, he- he...." He starts to panic again. Keith quickly clasps his hand over Lance's eyes and makes a shushing sound. 

"I don't know what you're seeing, but it's not real. Breathe Lance, just breathe. Listen to my voice."

"Listen to your....listen," He jolts as if in pain, and his hands fly to his ears. Keith moves his hand so it's over the Blue Paladin's mouth, knowing what's to come. As expected a scream rips from Lance's throat. Keith holds his hand down as hard as he can as the boy in his arms jerks and twists. His back arches, and Keith wraps his other arm around Lance's waist tightly. Lance's tears rolling over his fingers sends a shiver down his spine.

At this moment their rivalry begins to seem null and void. The Red Paladin takes a deep breath, questioning the emotion building up within him. Seeing Lance like this, holding him in his arms while he writhes, fills him with so much pain. What happened to the hate he held for this stupid boy.

"It hurts," The Blue Paladin sobs, pulling Keith's hand away. "Someone's screaming in my ears, and it's echoing. Won't stop echoing. I want it to stop." He surges forward, but Keith pulls back, hard. "Why won't you let me end it? You don't how how it sounds! You don't know the nightmare I see!"

"Cause we're going to fix this. Is the screaming subsiding at all?" Lance nods shakily. His body quakes as he tries to breathe through sobs. All Keith knows to do is calmly stroke Lance's hair, and make quiet calming noises. Lance shifts all the way around and leans his head against Keith's chest. 

"I'm just not worth anything Keith."

"Hey! Don't you ever say that." He hooks a finger under Lance's chin, and lifts up, looking into his eyes. "You're our sharpshooter. You do so much for our team." He starts becoming increasingly aware of the space between their lips, and a drifting feeling fills him.

"Keith...Keith, I'm sorry I've ever caused you any trouble. I'm sorry you always have to fix my mistakes." 

"Shut up you idiot," Keith whispers closing the space between their lips. His arms tighten around the Blue Paladin. He doesn't even hear the footsteps as they approach. 

"Keith! Is Lance awa- woah. Um, oh." A shocked Shiro stands awkwardly in the doorway. "I think I'm going to give you two some spa...." He drifts off, staring at Lance eyes widening. Keith jerks back from Lance's lips. He goes to say something to Shiro, but his eyes catch what Shiro's did. The veins on Lance are beginning to fade. His eyes, half hidden by his eyelids, are beginning to return to their natural blue. He's staring at Keith, completely ignoring Shiro. 

"Keith...' He tugs on Keith's shirt. The Red Paladin looks back at him, in amazement.

"Lance, Lance you're out of stage two!" Lance tilts his head, in slight confusion. 

"Holy shit, Keith! You did it!" Shiro laughs from the doorway.

"Keith, I don't understand how I'm feeling." He begins to pale, and Keith can already see the sickness spreading through him. "Keith I-I" Keith bolts up, dragging Lance with him. He bolts past Shiro, running to the closest bathrooms he can find.

Lance had hit the fever, and it came with more than just the fever itself.


	7. Fever Struck

Keith sighs, running his hand over the back of Lance's head, as the boy quakes, throwing up whatever is left in his stomach. Even when he's done with that, his boy keeps going, throwing up spit. His skin is freezing and drenched in sweat, but Keith holds him close anyway. The throwing up comes to a stop, and Lance nearly plummets in exhaustion. The Red Paladin quickly yanks him back, and helps him into a standing position. He stumbles into Keith, leaning against him. 

"Keith, I'm cold." Keith presses his hand against Lance's forehead.

"Burning up, but everything else cold" He shakes his head. "Lance, what are we going to do with you?"

"Keith," Lance nuzzles him, "let's just stay standing here." Keith picks up a warm cloth off of the sink.

"You wouldn't last. We have to get you to bed." Lance whines as Keith wipes his mouth. "Ah! I was put in charge of you. You are not going to put up a fight or I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you to your room. 

"Your room." Keith shakes his head. "I am going to stay in your room, but I'm not moving." Keith lets out an exasperated sigh.

"You asked for it!" He dives at Lance's legs, slinging him over his left shoulder. Lance let's out a shriek, and goes to kick, but Keith has a tight lock on his legs. He walks out into the hallway, and makes his way to his room, not caring who's watching. He ends up throwing Lance into his bed, not even worrying about any damage he could cause. Lance lets out a strangled cry, but he ignores it.

"Come 'ere." Lance slurs, motioning lazy with a hand.

"What do you want?" He moves forward, leaning over Lance. The next thing he knows Lance has pulled him down on top of him. He takes a deep breath, and sits up.

"Lance n-"

"I thought your job was to take care of him, not TAKE CARE OF HIM." An all too familiar grin appears in the doorway. 

"Pidge," the annoyed paladin growls.

"That's mah name. Don't wear it out."

"Get. Out." 

"Not feelin it."

"Could you please, just let me handle this?" Pidge shrugs.

"I was just told to come tell you that you don't have to train with all of use while you're taking care of Lance. Allura and Shiro really just expect you to stay here and take care of sicky beneath you. Haven fun sicky?" Lance opens his mouth to speak, but Keith stops him.

"You know you only have lines because you're a Voltron paladin, right?"

"What?"

"I don't know." He goes to slide off Lance, but for a sick guy he has a surprisingly strong grip on his legs. "Just get out!" Pidge chuckles, slinking out of the room. "Lance, you have to let me go." The Blue Paladin whines.

"I'm cold."

"I'll get you a blanket."

"I want your body heat. Lay down with me." The Red Paladin's heart begins to race, and he can't think straight. In a single motion Lance pulls him back down.

"You're out of your mind." Keith shakes his head. "What is your fever doing to you?" Lance ignores Keith's babbling, and cuddles up to him. Keith goes to push away, but sees Lance has already fallen asleep. There's nothing he can do right now. He was going to go get food, and see if Lance could keep it down, but that would have to wait. For now he closes his eyes, and lets himself fall asleep.


	8. Space Dad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Space Dad has a talk with an angsty hothead.

Keith makes his way to the kitchen. He thinks he's gotten up early enough to avoid everyone. He doesn't need the teasing, or the looks of pity. Knowing Shiro, he spilled about Keith's little moment with Lance, and it's rather special quality out of embarrassment. Allura must have also notified everyone the extent of Lance's memory loss. The Red Paladin cautiously tiptoes into the kitchen, and to his relief no one is there. He grabs two plates, hoping he can get Lance to eat once he wakes up. After getting food he glides out of the kitchen, and down the hall.   
"We need to talk." A voice says behind him. Keith's shoulders sag as he turns around to face Shiro. The Black Paladin motions back toward the kitchen, and Keith reluctantly returns to it, and sits down. He keeps his eyes on the plates in front of him as Shiro sits across from him.  
"Yeah?"  
"I think you know to some degree of what I want to talk about." A moment of silence. "Ever since Lance got injured you've been emotionally out of shape...well....more so."  
"Wouldn't you be if one of your teammates was trying to kill himself, dragging the whole team down?" Shiro arches an eyebrow, making a small snorting noise.  
"Yes, cause that's what the whole kiss with Lance was about...him dragging down the team." Shiro shakes his head, running a hand through his white patch of hair. "That was kind of a big moment, huh? If I'm recalling correctly that was your first."  
"I don't want to talk about this with you."  
"Keith, I understand you're a bit overwhelmed right now, but I need you to get it together. Once Lance is better, you can figure everything out then." Keith stand up in a jolt of aggression.   
"Lance, has no interest! I don't want to talk about this, especially with you!"   
"Keith, Keith look at me." The Red Paladin looks over through strands of hair. "You realize there's never been anything between Lance and I, right? I'm just looking out for my Paladin's and Lance has needed some extra attention."  
"I don't want t-"  
"He has problems! Stars, Keith. Have you not noticed? I'm the only one he thinks he can turn to, he doesn't feel for me." Keith balls his hands into his hair, frustrated.  
"Shiro, it doesn't matter! He doesn't like me! Anything that's happened is because of this stupid poison!!"  
"You'd be surprised," Shiro sighs, and stands up. "As soon as Lance is okay on his own you are to return to your training, and begin teaching. Make me proud Paladin." Keith is left, frustrated, sitting alone in the kitchen.  
"Damnit, Shiro." He whispers. Shaking it off, the Red Paladin picks up the plates and stands up. When he enters his room Lance is sitting up, blinking away a haze. He looks towards Keith, dark circles under his eyes.  
"Keith?" Keith smiles, awkwardly.  
"Hey, Lance. I brought you some food. I was thinking it'd help you get your strength up." Lance shudders.  
"No, please. I don't want to eat."  
"Lance...you have to." He moves, and sits on the edge of the bed, holding a plate out.  
"Nothing stays down. I'm sick of tasting it. " The Blue Paladin weakly pushes the plate away. Keith sighs, and sets both plates down. He rests his hand against Lance's forehead, and smiles.   
"You're beginning to cool down. Still hot, but shouldn't be much longer now. You seem to have gotten through these stages pretty fast. You sure you don't want to try and eat anything?" Lance looks down at his shaking hands, then at Keith.   
"I don't," He takes a deep breath, trying to keep his eyes open, "I'm not sure I have the strength to even feed myself. Why don't you just lay down with me again? Cold.." Keith looks at the plate uncertain, then back at Lance.   
"If you eat." Keith sets the plate in Lance's lap, and the Blue Paladin weakly gives in. He doesn't eat all of it, but even a couple bites is good enough for Keith. Keith finishes off his own plate, and sets the two off to the side. Lance forces Keith down, and curls up to him. "Sick people sure do sleep a lot," Keith whispers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this chapter at like...10:39pm after doing my nightly workout.


	9. From Full Mount to a Thrust of the Hips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith trains Lance. Lance gets frustrated, and gains the upperhand...then things get super awkward.
> 
>  
> 
> ~That sexual tension tho~
> 
> Be sure to read the chapter notes.

"What are you doing?!" Shiro flinches hearing the yell from out in the hallway.  
"Guess training starts today," he mumbles to himself, shaking his head, as an angry Lance storms out of Keith's room. Keith stands in the doorway.  
"You're the one who curled up to me!"  
"Like I'd ever!"   
"Ugh, whatever! Oh, and you're a crap singer!"  
"What would you know about my singing?!"Shiro looks at the two, and clears his throat.  
"Good. I see you're better Lance. Keith is training you in hand to hand combat. Starts today." Lance's jaw drops, and Keith smirks.  
"Great idea, Shiro. Why don't we start now?!" Keith takes a step forward, but Shiro stops him.  
"Not kill, train. Take this to training room, you two."  
"He just recovered from his fever overnight. I doubt he's strong enough to take me on."  
"Oh, we'll see about that!"  
"TRAINING ROOM, NOW!" The two paladin's backs straighten, a Shiro walks away from them. Keith shakes his head.  
"I'll see you in the training room, after you take a shower. You haven't taken one in days." The Red Paladin disappears from his doorway, back into his room.  
"I do no-" Lance goes to smell his shirt, and nearly chokes. He looks around, confused. "What is going on? I can't remember anything."  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"What are you wearing?" Keith eyes Lance, trying to keep his cool. The Blue Paladin had walked in with a pink, purple, and blue striped shirt that says Space Bi in large black letters on it, a pair of shorts, and nothing on his feet.  
"Something light so I can kick the crap out of you." Lance smirks. "I don't need training." Keith makes a small snorting noise.  
"Whatever, today I'm teaching you grappling, whether you like it or not. You'll be attempting to get out of full mount, side control, and guard. You attempt to get out of all of them first, then I'll teach you how."  
"I thought I was learning hand to hand combat!" Keith rolls his eyes, cracking his knuckles.  
"It's all about self defense, and there's more to it than just punching people with a stereotypical windup, leaving yourself open." Lance groans in frustration.  
"Let's just get this over with." Keith snaps, pointing to the ground. "Wha?"  
"Lay down,"  
"That's a little..."  
"Now!" Lance mumbles something under his breath and lays down on his back. In seconds Keith is sitting on his waste, and slaps Lance's legs.  
"Knees bent. You're at more risk with your legs down." Lance awkwardly bends his knees. "Now get out of it." Keith drops his arms, hands firm on Lance's shoulders. "In a real situation you'd be being choked. Think fast. Don't waste a single moment." Lance looks up at Keith with determination. He first tries to claw Lance's hands off of him. "Stereotypical. Not going to work." He lets his hand inch closer to Lance's neck. Lance tries to use his feet to push himself out from under Keith, and presses his hands into Keith's chest, attempting to shove him off at the same time. The Red Paladin scoffs. "Pitiful. You're not thinking at all are you?" His legs at Lance's sides tighten their hold.  
"According to you, I was sick. Of course I can't get out of this. I'm obviously weak!"  
"You made a fast, miraculous recovery. Your'e fine," Keith deadpans. In a quick motion Keith slides his right leg over Lance, and sets it next to his left, and stretches his body over Lance's chest, locking him into a side control. "Get out." Lance struggles, squirming. He begins to arch into a bridge and Keith's eyes widen, but it only lasts for a second. Lance collapses and tries to turn onto his stomach. "God damnit Lance. You almost...Getting on your stomach will get you screwed." Keith rolls over, laying down, but motions for Lance to get up.  
"What in hell's name are you having me do now?" Keith struggles for a second, thinking of a way to explain this without making things weird, but his focus goes to Lance's shirt. Keith had always thought of Lance as one of the straightest people he's ever known. "Mullet!" The Red Paladin pulls himself out of his thoughts.  
"Oh, get on your knees in front of me." Lance looks at him, very oddly. "Just do it." Lance drops to his knees, and Keith tangles his legs around the Blue Paladin's waist, heat rising to his face.  
"Power through it, Keith." he thinks to himself. Keith motions for Lance to get out of it. As soon as Lance goes to stand up Keith pulls as hard as he can with his legs, dropping Lance on top of him. He wraps his arms around the paladin.  
"Too easy. You need to fight harder." he says, letting go of the Blue Paladin. Lance stands up, frustrated. "I'm about to demonstrate to get out of the first move, full mount. Pay attention." Keith moves his arms in the air, as he talks, matching his words. "Grab the wrist, then the forearm. Bridge." He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes, forcing any thoughts of Lance out of his mind, and arches his hips up. From there he rolls, landing on his knees. "Ground."  
"I barely..."  
"Now!" Lance growls, laying down, and Keith gets into full mount, putting his hands on Lance's shoulders. Lance goes to move his arms into the position Keith showed, but Keith pins his hands down. "Now what are you gonna do?"  
"You never showed me ho-"  
"Get out of it!!"Keith growls. Lance lets out a yell of overwhelming frustration, and twists his arm in a way they slip out of Keith's grip, his hands landing back on Lance's shoulders. Lance executes a perfect bridge and roll, after grabbing Keith's arm. Keith can barely think as his head goes rushing to the ground, staring up at the Blue Paladin in a tangle of emotions. Lance's face is close to his, incredibly close. Neither of them speak.  
He tries not to show it, but Lance's mind raises a mile a minute. Blurred images of blood dripping from the walls shoot through his mind, and neon colored hysteria. "Shut up you idiot." The whisper echos through his mind, as he stares at the paladin beneath him. The image of Keith next to him as he woke up among his thoughts. Lance feels the temptation to put his fingers to his lips as if he felt something on them, an echo of something. He notices Keith staring into his eyes, as well, deep within his own thoughts. "Keith, what happened....what can't I remember?" Lance whispers.  
"I think...........training is over....you can go back to your room Lance." Keith bridges and rolls, forcing Lance back down, and stands up. The Red Paladin leaves the room, war waging within his head.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Preview for a chapter in the future. I won't tell you when it's coming though.:  
> \--------------------------  
> He presses his forehead against the wall of the shower, squeezing his eyes shut, as the water runs down his back.  
> "How can I say this without breaking? How can I say this without taking over? How can I put it down into words, when it's almost too much for my soul alone?" He sobs along to the song blasting through the room. Pain shoots through his hand as he slams it into the wall, but it can't compare to the pain spreading through his chest. "I loved and I loved and I lost you." The words of the song echo through the room. A scream rips through his throat, as he stumbles backwards and sits on the cold tile. It's Lance's music player. It's Lance's music. Lance isn't here. Lance. Lance. Lance. His name repeats in time with the young paladins dying heart.  
> "Your heart fits like a key into the lock on the wall. I turn it, I turn it,but I can't escape. I turn it over, I turn it over."


	10. Drunk in Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is always up for a party...especially when alcohol is involved.
> 
>  
> 
> Very fast paced. Really bad. It's getting worse. I need to up my game.

"Wait? We get to visit a planet?! Visit? You said visit?" Princess Allura rolls her eyes as the Blue Paladin jumps around the room.  
"Yes, Lance, visit. We haven't made any breakthroughs in info on Zarkon. Coran, Shiro, and I decided we'd let you paladins take a small break, and enjoy life....life outside of Voltron. We've already landed. We just ask you paladins to be careful. Look out for each other." Lance grins, not even noticing Keith nervously looking at him from the corner. The paladins are dismissed, but Keith lingers behind. He can't help but keep thinking about training. Had Lance remembered something? It didn't seem possible. He needs to talk to him. The Red Paladin makes his way toward's Lance's room, butterflies erupting through his stomach. Is this the right decision? Lance basically showed he was open to men with his Space Bi shirt, and the way he looked at Keith in the full mount. The energy was electric. He gets to Lance's room, and the doors slide open. His stomach drops as he sees Lance slipping a very slim package of condoms into his jacket pocket. Lance's eyes catch Keith and he turns to face him.  
"What do you want, Mullet?"  
"You're...you're going to..." Lance smirks patting his pocket.   
"She said to enjoy life. I think you need to take the same advice." Lance laughs, walking past the shocked paladin, and walking down the hall.   
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Keith, you're adding to your emo reputation. You might want to try to have fun," Hunk nudges the sullen boy.   
"Leave me alone Hunk," he mumbles, staring down at the drink in his hand.   
"He's right. Go dance with a girl or something." Pidge pipes up as Keith's eyes shift up, and land on Lance dancing with two pretty alien girls.   
"I'm gay." He chugs down his drink, and pushes past the green and yellow paladins to what he thinks is the bar. He motions for another, and begins to down drinks he had never even heard of before. Not long after he was on the dance floor, staring into the pink eyes of a boy in front of him. He has a faint recollection of the alien boy's hips swaying in rhythmic motions in time with a strange song he couldn't understand. And then he was pulling him to him. And the boy's lips were on his neck. And the pain was fading. Then nothing. Darkness.  
He jolts awake next to the boy he vaguely remembers, but is too dizzy to panic. His head is pounding, and he has a sick feeling in his stomach. The boy next to him is already awake, and quickly helps Keith to the bathroom, where he begins to throw up whatever he was drinking last night. When he's done the boy helps the dizzy paladin back to the bed, Keith not even realizing he's not wearing anything.  
"Are you okay?" The boy looks at him with his startling pink eyes. Keith presses a hand to his head, trying to focus.  
"Rexa," the boy smirks, revealing a pair of unusually large canines. Keith's arm jolts to his shoulder, beginning to put things together, but notices bruises and bitemarks down his arm.   
"Did we...." Rexa tilts his head, his pale green hair falling in his eyes.   
"Did you not want to? I'm sorry if that was the case. You were mumbling something about a Blue Paladin, and ignorance, and the next thing I knew you were kissing me. I.." Rexa looks at him, confused at how to form his next words.   
"Where is my team? Did they-" Rexa puts a hand on Keith's.   
"I believe your team is still here. I can help you get dressed if you want." The boy looks at him with sad eyes, and Keith numbly nods.   
He's soon being led out to the door, one hand clutching at his coat, as if it's the one anchor holding him to reality. They wander through the streets in search of the other paladins.  
"Keith! There you are! We were all so worried!" Allura's voice rings through the air. She pulls him into a hug, and he groans at the sudden jerk of movement, trying to shield his eyes from the sunlight at the same time. "Are you all right...Keith?" His ears ring as Lance comes whistling, running up with the rest of the paladins.  
"Looks like our Red Paladin had some fun last night. You are smashed!" Allura's and Lance's eyes shift to Rexa, standing calmly next to Keith. Allura's eyes sparkle.  
"Oh you're a Xerfa! I absolutely love your skin tone!" She hold the boy's pale pink hands in her own. Rexa smiles at the recognition. "Aren't your people known for their songs?"  
"Well, yes they are. How do you know so much about the Xerfa?" No one notices as Keith whispers something to Shiro, and the two slip away.  
"I am the princess of Altea. It is my duty to know about the vast beautiful cultures around the galaxies."  
"The Altean..The Altean princess? You mean the rumors are true! You've gathered the Voltron Paladins? You're going to stop Zarkon?!" His eyes widen even more. "And when that..that boy was talking about a Blue Paladin, he actually meant the Blue Paladin of Voltron?" Lance salutes with a wink.   
"Yes, we are going to stop Zarkon. Thank you for taking care of our Red Paladin. We shall repay your kindness at the next chance we get." Allura smiles, and begins to turn around, but Rexa grabs her sleeve.  
"Take me with you. Zarkon's soldiers murdered my family. Killed my people. I have nowhere to go. Please, take me with you!" The Xerfa boy looks into the eyes of the Altean princess, pleading.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another sneak peek at a future chapter:  
> \---------------------------------------------------  
> They all watched the blast, and each of them felt their lions pain as well as their own, as one of their very own went spiraling down. Keith begins to scream words no one can understand, and his lion shoots down.  
> "Keith, no!" Shiro yells.


	11. Frustration

Lance sits on the edge of his bed, head in his hands. An image of one of the most caring smiles he's ever seen wanders through his mind, "shut up you idiot," echoing along with it. He doesn't understand, and when he looks at Keith the feeling of confusion gets worse....when he looked at Keith with that boy he couldn't even think straight. He got so frustrated, but he couldn't show it. He put up the mask he always has on. When he's alone he lets it all out.  
His shoulders shake, tears streaming down his cheeks. He had tried to avoid this by going out with some girls, but it didn't feel right. He ended up shoving them off, and went looking for Keith, out of a whim. When he couldn't find him, he had run to the others. They were supposed to be looking out for each other, and Keith had gone missing. Then Keith stumbled up with a bright eyed boy, who looked ready for anything.....and Allura had let him come with them. He moves his hands so they're covering his mouth, trying to stop crying. He needs to stop crying, but he can't, and he doesn't understand why. Keith has always been his rival....yet he's also been his role model. He's always looked up to Keith, and he never understood his feelings for him, but he was starting to. He doesn't notice the doors slide open, or the rather pink alien standing in the doorway.  
"Have I done something wrong, Blue Paladin." Lance jerks his head up at the voice, anger welling up inside him.  
"Get out of my room." Rexa doesn't leave, instead he moves forward, and goes to sit next to Lance.  
"I have, but," his lids drop halfway, and his eyebrows arch down, "I don't think it's entirely my fault." Lance looks at the boy, partly startled. "I think it's yours. If you like Keith, maybe you should have told him, before he got drunk in frustration, and met me." He smiles big, rests a hand on Lance's knee, and leans into his ear. "That's kind of pathetic. Now, I'm going to go, and I'd like you to stay away from him. Your training and paladin work is the only contact you'll have with him." The boy stands up, giggles, and walks out of the room, leaving Lance wide-eyed, the choking feeling in his throat getting worse. Rexa makes his way down the hall, and does a large swing into Keith's room. Keith is sitting on his bed, ruffling a towel through his hair.  
"Have a nice shower? Wish I could have joined you." Rexa smirks, and sits next to him. Keith looks at the boy, a bit nervous, but okay with what's happening.  
"Um, well...I'm not...I don't entirely know.."  
"How you feel?" He hooks an arm around one of Keith's. "Mmmm, that's okay. We have time to sort things out, don't we?"  
"I guess....I just..." He looks down, the memory of kissing Lance moving through his head. Rex frowns.  
"He doesn't deserve you. He's a womanizer. You need someone who'd be loyal, and I know he wouldn't be." Keith nods, and shakes it off.  
"I'm glad Allura let you stay. Now I can get to know the person...who yeah." Rexa laughs.  
"You're so cute when your timid. It happened. It doesn't need to happen again for a while. It's okay. It's all by your choice. I won't pressure you, but I really feel like we had a connection last night. I'm interested in seeing where this goes...aren't you?" Keith looks into those hot pink eyes, that just seem to draw him in.  
"Yeah..I...I'd like that." He gently leans forward and kisses Rexa's forehead."I've never been in a relationship before..I've never even done...what we...anyway, I'm willing to learn how to though." Rexa smiles.  
"I'm glad...and I know." Rexa tries not to laugh. "I could tell, but you were a lot smoother to lead than most people would be." Keith stands up, Rexa letting go of his arm.  
"I have to go train Lance in hand to hand, though. I'm sorry." Rexa grumbles and folds arms.  
"Fine, but come back to me right after, okay?"  
"As you wish, Rexa."  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Holy shit! Lance," Keith stumbles backwards holding a hand to his forehead. "You weren't supposed to make contact, and that was higher than it's supposed to be!"  
"It worked!" Lance yells.  
"I was trying to teach you technique, not for you to knock me out!"  
"Well I'm sorry. People make mistakes!"  
"Yeah, obviously!" The two stand glaring at each other, breathing heavy. "Training over." Keith straightens his back and goes to turn around.  
"What, you going to return to Rexa, your little fuckboy that you barely even know?!"  
"Don't you talk about him like that!"  
"It's the truth and you know it!!!"  
"Sounds like someone's jealous. What did those girls realize what a player you are?" Lance stiffens, confusion filling his mind again.  
"I didn't do anything with them....I wasn't interested." Keith's anger numbs.  
"W-what? I thought you...."  
"I was wrong. Like I said, people make mistakes, but it seems you have a talent at it." Lance growls, and storms out of the room. Keith gets frustrated and stomps off to his own. He hears the shower running, and pauses.  
"Keith is that you? Mm, sorry I'm in the shower. I'll try to hurry." Keith begins to slide off his coat, walking towards his bathroom.  
"No need."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> possible chapter preview:
> 
> His wrists are getting tired. He doesn't know how long he's been hanging here, or how long the hallucinations have been plaguing his mind.  
> "I feel it burning through my veins. It's driving me insane. The fever is rising. I'm going under," he softly sings to himself, watching neon images dance around him. "Memories flash before my eyes. I'm losing time. The poison is killing me, taking over." He tilts his head up, looking at the purple cracks arching up his arms. He'd lost hope a while ago. This feels like the end.


	12. Over the Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning.
> 
>  
> 
> I know..my chapters are incredibly short. I wanted to make them larger, but can't seem to.  
> Song used: Wicked Games, but Lance has the Urine Vulpine version playing.

"Lance?" Shiro looks around the training room having expected Keith and Lance to still be training. The room is empty. "Hmmm." Shiro walks out of the room, and heads towards the kitchen. He enters to see Hunk, and Pidge. "Have either of you seen Lance?" The Yellow Paladin shakes his head.  
"Did you check his room?" Pidge asks.  
"No, not yet, but I'll check now."  
"What is this about?"  
"Just wanted to check up on him." The Black Paladin begins to make his way to Lance's room. The hallway is silent, settling a bad feeling in his stomach. He tries to shake it, but something doesn't feel right. "Lance?" he yells, approaching the room. The doors open and music begins blasting around Shiro.  
"What a wicked game to play, to make me feel this way. What a wicked thing to do, to let me dream on you." The bad feeling gets worse, and takes over him when he hears running water.  
"Lance?!" He pushes his way into the bathroom. Lance lays in the bathtub, blood running from his wrists. Overwhelming panic hits Shiro, but then he notices small movements from Lance's body. Breathing. He's still breathing. Shiro drags him out of the tub, holding him close. "Shit, Lance. Why didn't you come to me?" He takes a deep breath, trying to swallow his panic, and runs for the healing pod room.  
"Shiro! What the hell happened?" He hears Pidge yell as another set of footsteps match up with his.  
"Something we're going to have to talk about later, Pidge!"

Keith goes to leave his room, and sees Shiro running down the hall. Something's off. He's carrying someone, someone lifeless, and bleeding. As things come into focus he sees it's Lance, and pain erupts through him.  
"L-Lance?" he whispers. He goes to follow them, but feels a tug on his sleeve.  
"Keith, don't." He turns to face Rexa, staring at him intently. The pain is suddenly numbing, but something whispers in his head that this is very wrong.  
"Rexa..? I don't...." He goes to look away, but the boy grabs his face, forcing him to look into his eyes. The numbing feeling gets stronger.  
"Don't look into his eyes!" a voice screams in his head. He swipes his arm across Rexa's as hard as he can, forcing the boy to let go of him, and changes the motion of his arm to backfist Rexa in the face. The boy stumbles backwards, covering his face with his hands. As he looks up, he puts his arms down, blood running from his nose.  
"We......we were going to be happy!" The boy reaches down and pulls a dagger out of one of his knee high boots. Keith begins to back up.  
"I... I don't even know you...oh my god I don't even know you. I don't even like you!" Keith looks around for anything he can defend himself with, knowing his knife is in his room, behind Rexa.  
"We...were going to be together, and happy, and you were going to love me, but you had to ruin it. You had to ruin it!" Rexa lunges forward, and Keith dives to the side.  
It becomes a pattern of slice and dodge, Keith losing his footing several times. This boy in the white crop top, and black shorts, was incredibly agile, and Keith couldn't keep up. He even gets cut several times. Keith tries to focus on every movement. Hones in on Rexa's technique. Rexa brings the knife down, aiming for Keith's head. Almost gracefully, Keith grabs Rexa's wrist, redirecting the attack, driving the knife into the boy's chest. The boy's eyes widen as he falters, stumbling back. "You...How could yo-" He coughs, blood spilling down his chin, and throat. He swings forward, and falls into Keith's arms. He claws at Keith's shoulders. "No..I..." He coughs again, this time more violently. He keeps coughing, shaking, trying to keep a hold on Lance. With one last violent cough he slips out of Keith's arms to the floor. The Red Paladin is left standing in the hallway, blood splattered across his face, covering his clothes, and dripping down his arms, Rexa's body laying at his feet.


	13. Whispers in the Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance finally face their thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter makes up for all the crap, and pain before this, and all the crap I'm gonna pull after.  
> The songs in this chapter in order  
> La La La by Shakira ( Spanish version )  
> Guillotine by Jon Bellion
> 
> https://ikafalling.deviantart.com/art/Rexa-703574287?ga_submit_new=10%3A1504984028  
> I also drew Rexa digitally ( the first digital I've done with a stylus)

He had been standing there for a while, could be hours, still trying to process everything when Allura had stumbled upon him, and screamed. Soon three of the paladins, and Coran were there as well. Shiro was trying to pull him back, but Keith didn't want to move.  
"I killed him," Keith whispers. He's so focused on what he's done he can't even hear what everyone's saying. Before he knows it he's being thrown over Shiro's shoulder and taken to a different room, where he's set down. Allura sits in front of him, a look of concern on her face.  
"Keith, Keith you need to listen to me. Keith, what happened?" Everything begins to come into focus, and he looks at Allura.  
"I killed him," he whispers again.  
"Keith, we're going to need a little more than that." Shiro whispers, coming to sit in front of him as well.  
"God, he's covered in Rexa's blood. You can even smell it." Pidge mumbles, taking a step back.  
"Something was wrong," Keith looks down at his hands, "Rexa...something..wrong..then the knife...and I.."  Allura bites down on her thumb nail.  
"He's broken. We're not going to get very much out of him right now. Xerfa's create incredibly strong bonds through sexual intercourse, strengthened by looking into their eyes. It's crippling his mind having the bond let go of him." She lets out a frustrated breath. "We're down two Paladins." Shiro rests a hand on her shoulder.  
"Everyone leave. We can’t do anything right now." He turns to Allura. "I'll handle this." He grabs Keith's arm, and helps him stand up. "Come on Keith, let's get you cleaned up. Shiro leads the Red Paladin out of the room.  
The rest of the paladin's leave, only Allura and Coran left.  
"Coran..my paladins are falling apart, and I can’t do anything to help.” She begins to tear up, and Coran pulls her into a hug.  
“It’s going to be okay. You need to rest, Princess. Take a nap, and I’ll get on cleaning up the......mess in the.......uh hallway.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“He wasn’t even here two day.” Shiro jumps at the voice in the doorway, and turns to see Lance, thick dark circles under his eyes. “What the pink bitch do to royally piss off Keith?” He motions to the frozen, blood covered boy sitting on the bed.  
“Lance, you’re okay.”  
“Yeah, you got to me in ti-”  
“What the fuck were you thinking?” It was said very softly, but both of them heard. Keith’s head is slightly tilted, empty eyes locked on Lance.  
“Of you,” Lance breathes, but no one hears it. Shiro quickly grabs Keith, shocked.  
“You spoke, and it wasn’t fragmented. Keith, I know I shouldn’t push it, but can you tell me what happened to Rexa?”  
“Rexa?” The Red Paladin begins to freeze up again. “He....I...”  
“What the hell is wrong with broken record over there?” Lance folds his arms, trying not to care.  
“Rexa gained some control over his mind. He’s having a hard time getting out of it. I can’t even get him to take a shower, but he just spoke like it was fading.” He looks at Lance curiously. “Could you try asking what happened?” Shiro stands up and motions for Lance to sit next to Keith.  
“I don’t know what difference it’s going to make, but sure.” He sits down, and Keith’s eyes are immediately on him. Lance sighs. “What happened, hothead?”  
“Shiro...was carrying you...and the blood...ru-running down your arms,” he whispers, and his hands slowly ball up into fists on his lap, “dripping on the ground. Rexa wouldn’t...Rexa...stopped me from going to you. Something...something wrong. I didn’t feel right. I tried to leave, and he got so angry.” He squeezes his eyes shut. Lance lets his concern in, and rests a hand on Keith’s. Shiro watches with intrigue.  
“You’re almost there. What happened next?”  
“Knife.....from his boot.” Keith raises his free hand, and brushes it against a cut on his face. “I fought back, and then he...he... blood- so much blood. All I did was drive it into his stomach.” He begins to shake violently.  
“You two have a link.” Shiro whispers in awe. “Lance I need you to stay with him.”  
“Wha-”  
“Trust me. Get him cleaned up, and make sure he stays with you till that bond stops doing damaged.” Shiro nods, giving a trusting smile, and steps out of the room. Lance looks at Keith, and sighs. He squeezes the Red Paladin’s hand.  
“Hey, let’s get you to my room and to the shower.” He looks at Keith uncertain, and helps him stand up. His shaking calms as he leans into Lance. “I don’t want to make things awkward...so clothes are going to stay on...We’re just going to have to deal with the skin that’s out in the open.” They walk out into the hall, down to Lance’s room, and to the bathroom, and Lance has Keith sit down. “Can you wiggle off your boots for me?” The Red Paladin numbly shakes his feet, but it doesn’t work. Lance smirks and pulls his boots off for him, along with his socks.  
“I killed him,” Keith whispers.  
“He was attacking you.”  
“I love him.” There’s such pain in his voice it hurts Lance. He moves over to the shower, and turns it on.  
“You didn’t even know him.”  
“But I can feel love right now, and it hurts,” Lance turns to look at Keith. Tears are welling up in his eyes, “I-I don’t....he...how can that mean I don’t love him? I feel it.” He begins to rock back and forth mumbling “I feel it” continuously. He goes to raise his hands to the sides of his head, but Lance grabs them.  
“Get a grip, Mullet. Team needs you.” I need you echoes in his mind. “Come on, stand up for me.” Keith shakily stands up and Lance leads him to the shower. Lance gently pushes Keith into it, but  Keith grabs his arm, and won’t let go. “Hey, you have to let go of me,” Lance says softly.  
“You’ll leave.”  
“No, you’re too shaky to clean yourself. I’m going to have to stand at the edge, and I’ll clean you from out h-” Keith yanks on his wrist, and suddenly Keith is up against the shower wall, Lance falling into him. Lance scrambles to get his boots off, as well as his socks, and throws them out. “Damnit, Keith! I don’t need my boots ruined, and isn’t this a little weird? What are you thinking?” Keith moves Lance’s hand so he can see his wrist. He moves his thumb over a scar right across it. “Shiro only got me to the pods fast enough to save me...not fast enough to stop scarring.”  
“Why?” Lance becomes confused. “Why did you...you tried to.” Keith begins to shake again.  
“You don’t want to know..” Lance shakes his head. Keith leans against the wall, the water hitting his face turning pale red as it drips.  
“W-why don’t you,” he twitches, “try...me?”  
“Because....because I can’t stop thinking about you, and then Rexa came along. Rexa got up in my face...and I,” Lance begins to get frustrated, “I have problems!” Keith smiles, and rests his hands on the sides of Lance’s face.  
“You. That’s what did it. You.” Lance gets nervous.  
“Keith, stop that. You’re getting blood on my face.” Keith’s hands quickly lower, and he stares at them.  
“I may not have known him, and he was doing wrong, but I killed him,” Lance chokes down the temptation to point out all the Galra ships they’ve shot down. This is different.  
“Let’s just...start by scrubbing the blood off. Are you okay with that?” Keith nods. Lance grabs a washcloth, and begins to scrub at the Red Paladin’s cheeks. He takes a deep breath, hoping Keith’s own mental state would cause him to soon forget what he had to admit. Keith looks down, and wrests a hand on the lower part of Lance’s upper arm.  
“Thinking...can’t stop thinking about me, huh?” The life begins to return to his eyes.  
“Shut up, mullet” Lance blushes, and focuses on scrubbing when Keith takes the washcloth from him.  
“I can handle it.” He says as he begins to scrub at his arms. He scrubs away as much blood as he possibly can, and looks frustrated at the red stained cloth in his hand. “Did I really do the right thing?” He turns away from the Blue Paladin, and rests his head against the wall.  
“He was....” Lance nervously slides his arms so they’re wrapped around Keith’s waist, as Keith folds his own. Lance wrests his head against the back of his shoulder.”You were defending yourself, and following your instincts. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Keith turns in Lance’s arms to face him. The Blue Paladin’s faces turns red as Keith leans closer. “Keith?” Keith wraps his arms around Lance, and tugs him into a kiss. It doesn’t last long, but it’s enough to make Lance’s mind race.  
“Have I ever told you I have a thing for Latin boys?” Lance grins. “I also love it when you sing.”  
“I thought you said that I’m a crap singer.”  
“That was when I was frustrated with your existence.” Lance laughs, squeezing Keith tight.  
“We should probably stop goofing off.”  
“For all everyone knows I’m still falling apart. You...should sing for me.” Lance rolls his eyes. “Please.”  
“Oh, fine, but let’s get out of the shower.” He turns it off, and steps out.  
“I would love to change out of these wet clothes, but I don’t want to drip through the hallway.” Keith steps out, and grabs a towel.  
“I can grab you something from my closet.” Lance walks into the bedroom, and a t-shirt and shorts gets thrown into the bathroom. As Keith goes to change, he begins to hear singing from the bedroom.“Toda mi vida estaba demasiado tarde. Hasta que apareciste con una sincronización perfecta. Ahora aquí estamos, eres lo máximo.” Heat rises to Keith’s cheeks, and his mind begins to get hazy.  
“Holy shit,” he whispers. The singing continues.  
“Nuestros dedos están atrapados en el enchufe. Es sólo la naturaleza, un juego. Prepárate, lo vamos a hacer de nuevo. No nos vamos a recuperar, de la resaca. Cuando tus ojos me tenían borracha, yo estaba sobria.” Keith keeps his back turned to the bathroom, trying to keep his calm, when a pair of arms close around  his waist.  
“¿Es verdad que me amas? Te reo a besarme, con todos mirando. Es verdad o reto en la pista de baile.” The Red Paladin takes a deep breath as Lance sings softly in his ear.  
“W-what was..um....that?”  
“You said you had a thing for Latin boys, and you like it when I sing.” He smirks, and chuckles. “That was me combining the two.”  
“Oh..um, wow. Sing for me?”  
“Hmm, why don't I just turn on my music player, and we can dance?”  
“How romantic of you Blue Paladin. Aren’t you supposed to be a player?”  
“Well I-”  
“I hate to break this up, but Allura wants to hear what happened with Rexa, personally.” Keith jumps out of Lance’s arms as they both turn to see Shiro.  
“Awe, sorry man. Come on, Keith.” Lance chuckles, and begins to stride out the door. Keith nearly misses the grins two two paladins exchange, and the high five. Heat begins to rise to his face once more.  
Soon Keith is sitting in a chair recounting his fight with Rexa.Everyone is shocked, not sure whether to be proud of the paladin, or a bit frightened.  
“You just redirected his move?!” Hunk stares wide eyed as Keith nods.  
“What I’m wondering is why we were so at ease with him? We didn’t even know him.” Pidge leans back. Coran clears his throat.  
“His kind have an easing presence that disarms the people around them.” llura nods, and sighs.  
“We have enough to deal with, with Zarkon. We can’t keep running into problems like this.”  
“We’re the Voltron Paladins I don’t think there’s much choice when it comes to finding trouble.” Shiro shakes his head, as Pidge pipes up again.  
“We could have avoided the whole Rexa situation if two dumbs had just be-”  
“That’s enough Pidge. Okay, everyone go get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I’ll give you all information in the morning.” Shiro stands up, and the paladins begin to leave. Keith goes to walk back to his room, when Lance grabs his wrist.  
“Oh no you don’t. You’re coming back to my room.” Lance pulls Keith along, and Pidge rushes bye.  
“Don’t go too wild making purple you two!” Pidge laughs, and Keith turns all sorts of shades of red.  
“Lance...what are we doing?”  
“I just don’t want you to be alone tonight.”  
“I don't understand.” Lance stops, and looks at Keith with a solemn look on his face.  
“You’re mind is in a fragile state right now. I’m not leaving you alone.” He begins to walk forward again, till they get to his room. He motions towards the bed and walks towards a table with a small device hooked up to a strange cylinder with lights.  
“What’s that?”  
“A speaker system I found on one of the planets we stopped at. Pidge managed to hook it up to my music player. Lay down.” Keith takes a deep breath.  
“We’re not going to...”  
“No, lay down.” The Red Paladin slowly lays down as Lance messes with his music player. Gentle music begins to play as Lance slides into bed next to Keith. The Blue Paladin stares at the boy in front of him. A voice shows up in the music as he stares, eyes showing how deep in thought he is.  
“Sleep on me, feel the rhythm in my chest just breathe. I will stay so the lantern in your heart won’t fade. The secrets you tell me I’ll take to my grave. There’s bones in my closet, but you hang stuff anyway.” Lance reaches out, and runs his fingers down the side of Keith’s face.  
“Keith, is it too early to say I love you?” The Red Paladin closes his eyes, and puts his hand on top of Lance’s, holding it to his face.  
“I was just about to ask the same thing,” he whispers.


	14. Show Me Where It Hurts

"Paladins, get to your lions! Galra ships approaching! Paladins, we think one is Lotor!" Allura's voice blasts through the castle, startling the paladins into consciousness. When Keith wakes up the music is gone, and the space next to him is empty, no imprint, as if it had been empty all night. He looks up to see Lance standing in the center of the room, looking toward the door, angry.  
"Lance?"  
"Things never calm down," he whispers. Lance shakes his head, and looks towards Keith. Dark circles lay heavy under his eyes, and his eyes themselves are bloodshot. Keith sits up.  
"Lance is everything okay?" The Blue Paladin looks at him. Lance tries to smile, but fails.  
"Mo-rning." His voice cracks. Keith slides out of bed, and goes to wrap his arms around Lance, but the Blue Paladin stumbles back, attempting to avoid the contact. "We need to go."  
"You don't look like you got any sleep."  
"I'm fine."  
"Lance, pl-"  
"I'm fine!" Lance yells. Keith's eyes widen. The Blue Paladin shakes his head, and turns away. "Come on Keith. We need to go." Both paladins rush to get ready, and run until they stop at the split paths to heir lions. Lance's face is filled with anger and confusion that Keith can't help but notice.  
"Lance, please.....what's wrong?" He goes to grab the Blue Paladin's hand but Lance steps back.  
"Just be careful, please." He opens his mouth once more as if to say something, but a look of pain flashes through his expression. He turns around, and rushes off.  Keith stands, staring at the place Lance had been standing. Something's wrong, very wrong. The Red Paladin takes a deep breath, attempts to shake it off, and heads for his lion.  
"Paladins, there's only two ships, but we're certain one is Lotor's. We have to be careful. We have no idea what he's planning. Shiro's voice sounds through their helmets. Neither of the Galra ships fire, they simply shoot towards a planet close by. The paladins cautiously follow behind. The planet is dark, eerie. Black smoke covers the ground, and they have just barely enough light to see in the sky.  
"What's going on? Why aren't they shooting?" Pidge yells. Shiro goes to talk, but Lance speaks first."  
"Whatever you do, don't follow them, stay together."  
"Why? Lance, what do you know?"  
"Just listen to m-" One of the ships fire randomly, barely clipping Lance. Keith fills with rage, and his lion shoots forward.  
"That's my guy, you ass!"   
"What did I just say?!" Lance growls, steadying his lion.   
"Lance, we can't deal with your paranoia!" Pidge's lion follows after Keith's.  
"Tell me what's wrong." Shiro stays put, remembering Allura's knowledge on the poisoning Lance went through. Is it possible one of those strange hallucinations had seeped into his dreams?  
"I just..I have a bad feeling! We need to get them back. We can't be separated." His breath begins to quicken, as anxiety sets in.   
"Okay, calm down. We'll get them back." Lance barely hears Shiro, as he notices something in the corner of his eye. One of the ships is trained on the Red lion. It happened in seconds. Suddenly, Lance was screaming Keith's name. Then there was the blast as both Galra ships fire at the same lion. Each paladin felt their lions pain as well as their own, as one of their team went spiraling down. Keith begins to scream words no one can understand as his lion shoots down into the shadows. The ships disappear within the shadows, as well.  
"Keith, no!" Shiro yells. "You're going to get lost. We can't even see where they went." Keith's lion comes halting to a stop.  
"So we're just going to leave him for Lotor?!"  
"No, we're going to look together. Everyone, turn on your lights." They all go down carefully, using their lights to see through the smoke. If there had been any to start, hope vanishes fast. There is no sign of the blue lion, or either Galra ship. They seem to search for hours. Nothing.  
"We...we can only assume Lance was taken. We need to go back, and alert Allura." Shiro keeps himself calm, but the Red Paladin isn't doing so well.  
"No, we have to keep looking! He could be hurt. He needs help. We can't just leave him out here. We can't.." Keith's shoulders shake as he tries to choke down the oncoming tears.  
"Keith, we're going to get him back. We just can't run into this blind. We need to co-"  
"There!" Pidge yells. Everyone looks to see Pidge's lights on Lance's battered lion. Keith dashes towards it. The other paladins try to catch up, but by the time they get there Keith is out of his lion, rushing for Lance's. They find him curled up in a ball, in the lion, holding the Blue Paladin's cracked helmet.  
"We were finally okay. We were okay..." Keith whispers, tears slipping down his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's destroy what happened last chapter, shall we?
> 
> Aaaaalso I have a few more voltron fanfictions planned just as stupid. One involves Lance being Altean, and one based off a text story youtube video, and another based off a fanart of a hot little vampire Lance. I've already started writing the Altean one.  
> It's going to be called The Diamonds in Our Eyes. YAY , I'm such a dork.


	15. Revelations

"We're going to get him back," Shiro whispers, gently resting a hand on the Red Paladin's shoulder. "He isn't going to get away with this." Keith grabs Shiro's hand, digging his nails in. His eyes flash yellow.  
"We better," He growls. Shiro's eyes widen as he watches patches of light purple form on Keith's face, and his teeth sharpen into points.   
"Keith....you need to calm down. Just take a deep br-" Pidge's foot slams into Keith's face.  
"Calm down, Kogane. Lotor's got some weird homo shit going on for Lance, anyway. He'll be fine."  
"Wait, what?!" Keith stands up, everything back to normal.  
"Pssh, all you gay boys have feelings for that idiot. Now, let's get out of here. We need to get Lance's lion back, and figure out what Lance is up to." The Paladins struggle to drag Keith out of the lion, and he's still not doing well when they get back to the castle. They all sit in one room.  
"What is Lotor up to? To have gone after Lance like that...Do you think he was the one who poisoned Lance in the first place?"  
"No. We'd have known if it was Lotor. He would have paraded around like he's better than us." Everyone else talks as Keith stares down into his hands. He can't think straight, and it's like a steamhammer is going off in his head. Everyone talking, and what they're talking about is making it increasingly worse. He stands up.  
"I'm sorry. I can't..." Keith exits the room, not bothering to wait for any responses, and heads for his own room. He would take a shower, then rest. Not in the mood to talk till he rests. The Red Paladin pauses in the hallway, and looks towards Lance's room. His feet move forward, taking him there. He doesn't bother to stop himself. He eventually finds himself wandering around Lance's room, breathing in who the Blue Paladin is. He ends up opening drawers and looking through his closet. There isn't very much: a box of unopened condoms, and crumples up pieces of paper. Then he gets to the bottom drawer. Sheets of paper covered in smeared ink as if he had been crying when he wrote them. They're all in Spanish, and Keith realizes they're letters home. He sometimes forgets the other paladins have families back on Earth, worried sick, no clue where they are.   
He picks up a small book among the paper, and flips through it. Dates. Lance's signature repeatedly. Run through of days. This is Lance's journal, and Keith's own name catches his eye.  
"I found the perfect shirts for Keith, but with how he hates me I feel like he'd be angry. I don't know why I got them. They just hang in the back of the closet. Kind of a stupid purchase."   
"What..?" He tilts the book closer to his face when something falls out of the pages. He looks down and his mind freezes. A pair of rather thin blades, edges dipped in red lay on the floor. He picks hem up, and a choking feeling forms in his throat. "No...Why...Lance?" He takes a deep breath, dropping the blades. "Get your mind on something else. Get your mind on something else." He wanders towards the closet trying not to think of how broken The Blue Paladin truly is. He opens the closet, and just like the journal said there are two shirts in the back of the closet: a black one that says "Space Emo" in white letters, and a red one that says "gaylien", a rainbow alien head on it. He raises an eyebrow wondering how long Lance has known about his sexuality, and how. A pain spreads through his chest. Lance. His head hurts. Lance. He needs to take a shower.   
The Red Paladin sets the red shirt on the bed, and finds a pair of shorts. Clutching the shorts, and black shirt, he stumbles into the bathroom. He sets them down, and wanders back into the bedroom. He grabs Lance's music player, and sound system, then proceeds to set them up in the bathroom. After he's done he removes his clothes, and gets in the shower. Water, rain, the shower, it all usually washes away any of his pain, but this time it lets it out. As If it can feel his pain the player begins to play a song that matches his mind. He presses his forehead against the wall of the shower, squeezing his eyes shut, as the water runs down his back.  
"How can I say this without breaking? How can I say this without taking over? How can I put it down into words, when it's almost too much for my soul alone?" He sobs along to the song blasting through the room. Pain shoots through his hand as he slams it into the wall, but it can't compare to the pain spreading through his chest. "I loved and I loved and I lost you." The words of the song echo through the room. A scream rips through his throat, as he stumbles backwards and sits on the cold tile. It's Lance's music player. It's Lance's music. Lance isn't here. Lance. Lance. Lance. His name repeats in time with the young paladins dying heart.  
"Your heart fits like a key into the lock on the wall. I turn it, I turn it, but I can't escape. I turn it over, I turn it over."  
A scream of pain and torment rattles through the cast, and everyone, no matter where they are, bows their head at the sound.  
"What are we going to do? Without Lance, a single paladin, our team falls apart... What would you do if I was the one taken?" Shiro holds someone close to him.  
"Rip apart the universe to get to you."  
"But Shiro, that's exactly what Keith is going to do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have a doodle of Keith wearing the space emo shirt while listening to the music player.
> 
> If anyone is interested I can upload it to my deviantart, but I have to know if someone wants to see it (which reminds me I still have to upload my art for Trifecta)
> 
> song used is Hurts Like Hell by Fleurie


	16. Neon Submission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, what happened to Lance? Well.

His wrists are getting tired. He doesn't know how long he's been hanging here, or how long the hallucinations have been plaguing his mind.  
"I feel it burning through my veins. It's driving me insane. The fever is rising. I'm going under," he softly sings to himself, watching neon images dance around him. "Memories flash before my eyes. I'm losing time. The poison is killing me, taking over." He tilts his head up, looking at the purple cracks arching up his arms. He'd lost hope a while ago. This feels like the end.   
“What a sad song.” A voice echoes around him. He looks in front of him to see a figure. It’s a boy with a long, pale blue braid, and purple skin. His ears form points, and his irises are golden. Lance doesn’t see any of this. He sees empty eye sockets, pink liquid running from them, and bright neon purple skin. The mouth is twisted into a sickening grin, neon green dripping from one corner of his lips, all teeth sharpened to points. Cuts cover the figures body, all dripping the neon pink. He’s filled with fear, realizing this is the person that poisoned him from the very beginning. Lance squeezes his eyes shut, and the boy makes a tisking noise. “Too drugged up to see my true self, huh? Mm Lotor, why did we need to drug him? If he saw the beauty of us he’d follow our every command. Everyone does.” Another figure steps from the shadows in the corner.  
“The paladins are stronger than you think, Earda. He’s proven that he can live through Ethrite, and that’s what we’ll keep him on.” Lance cautiously opens his eyes. Everything is neon. Neon green walls dripping pink. The world keeps shifting, and spinning. Everything is like this except for Lotor. Lance’s eyes widen. A small whimper escapes his lips, and he doesn’t know why. Lotor grins. “I see conditioning has worked. Unchain him.”  
“But sir, he could come after you, or attempt to run.”  
“He won’t. Unchain him.” Earda goes to unchain Lance, but the Blue Paladin keeps his eyes on Lotor. He drops to the ground, and instead of trying to keep his balance he falls to his knees, another whimper clawing it’s way up his throat. Lotor crouches down, and stares into Lance’s yellow eyes. “Conditioned to follow my every word. Oh, I shall enjoy this. Blue Paladin, tell me your name.”  
“L-lance.” His voice is hoarse and broken, as if he’d been screaming for long periods of time.  
“What is mine?”  
“Lotor,” he whines, voice filled with longing. He feels this should be very wrong, but he can’t remember why.  
“Good, we need to fit him in a new outfit, and get him a weapon.”  
“A weapon?! But sir!”  
“Trust me Earda. We have managed to create an Ethrite weapon minus the sickness and amplification of dark thoughts.” Lotor laughs. “Hallucination on a cosmic scale, and undying loyalty. What more could we ask for?” Lotor stands up, and holds his hand out. “Stand up, Lance.” Smooth caramel skin connects with light purple, and Lance is pulled to his feet. “You are no longer part of Voltron. Do you understand?”  
“Yes, Lotor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song used: City of the Dead by Eurielle


	17. Awakening

Allura steadies her breathing, trying to keep calm as she stares into one yellow eye, and one natural eye. She knew this was coming. She wasn’t ready for it, though. She was content knowing it was part of him, she just wasn’t prepared to see it.  
“I guess it was more part of me than I thought.” A tongue runs over long, sharp fangs. Lips twist into a smirk.  
“I think you need to stay here so we can figure out if anything else about you has changed.....besides appearance.” Different colored eyes dart to the metal hand on a shoulder.  
“And I think you know that’s not going to happen. It’s been weeks.” Patched purple hands run through dark purple hair. “I think you’re going to let me go after him, now.” Allura looks to the Black Paladin, worry filling her eyes. The Black Paladin’s grip tightens.  
“Keith, we don’t want to use force.” A chuckle.  
“To get to my mate, I won’t mind using it.” In seconds Shiro’s arm is being twisted behind his back. When he goes to break free Keith has already let him go, and is heading down the hall, calmly, leisurely.  
“Keith! Get back here!” Shiro runs to the door, but it doesn’t open. He looks through the glass. Keith is now walking backwards, wagging a finger in the air. The edge of the door has been crushed to the point it’s stuck. “Shit!” Shiro breathes, “He’s faster, and stronger. We can’t get out. Pidge was right. He’s not going to care about anyone who gets in his way.” The Black Paladin looks back through the glass. Keith is gone. He’s running in the direction of his lion.  
“Hey, Keith, where are yo- w-woah! Holy mother of Galra!” The Yellow Paladin stumbles backwards taking in his newly changed friend. A laugh. A sickening grin. Nails drag across a wall, screeching, cutting.   
“Like what you see? Mm, I love it. My mind has been awakened, and everything has come into focus.”  
“Keith...wha ha-? I....” Keith begins to run again. “Wait, where are you going?” A primal look flashes through Keith’s eyes.  
“To defend my mate, and kill all those who have laid claim to him.” He takes off running again, leaving Hunk a frightened mess. One more to go. He thinks. He doesn’t expect to see Coran, but he can already smell Pidge, right by the entrance to the way to his lion. They begin to come into sight.  
“I can’t let you go.”  
“Get out of the way!” Keith growls.   
“You’re not thinking straight. You’re going to get someone hurt, maybe even yourself.”  
“I told you to get out of my way.”  
“Keith, calm down.” Pidge braces for the boy to come charging.  
“No.” It feels like the air has been pulled out of their lungs. Feels like they’ve been shot in the stomach as they go flying into the wall. Keith’s arm simply having been swiped to the side.  
“Learn your place, runt.” The Red Paladin walks forward, the sound of shattering glass, and snapping metal sounding from beneath his boot.  
By the time Shiro gets to where Pidge lays, Keith is gone. He kneels down by the broken, shaking body.  
“Pidge! Pidge, are you okay?!” He pulls them into his arms as they wince. “Why did you try to stop him?” The Green Paladin smiles slightly.  
“I was trying to protect our family. It’s been breaking rapidly. I was trying to help in any way I could.” Shiro sighs, and shakes his head. He looks towards the crushed glasses next to them.  
“You’re glasses are....well,” Pidge chuckles lightly.  
“I have more, Don’t worry.”  
“How injured are you? Can you stand?” The paladin nods as Shiro helps them up. They stifle a scream, their hand jerking to their lower chest.  
“I think something’s happened to a few of my ribs, and I hit my head, hard. I need to go to the healing pods, and you need to go after Keith.”  
“I’m not leaving you Pidge.”  
“I’m not giving you a choice.”  
“Just don’t do anything crazy while I’m gone.” Shiro helps Pidge forward, heading for the pods.   
“Are you kidding? Our two troublemakers are causing trouble somewhere else in the universe. I’m innocent”  
“Shiro! Pidge! Is everything okay?!” What happened?” Allura runs down the hallway.  
“Keith happened. Allura, do you mind getting extra glasses out of my room? I’m going to need them after I get out of the pods.” The princess nods as they steer into the pod room. Shiro helps the young paladin into one.  
“Go save our family.”  
“I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey... ya wanna know what Lance is up to? Next chapter u find out.


	18. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hey...what's Lance up to??

“Sleek. Fits you well. Do you like it? I think Lotor picked out some nice cloth.”  
“This was made for me?”  
“Made to fit every curve. You have a nice shape. It’s easy to work with.” He feels hands run down his sides, and shudders at the touch. “I designed it myself.” Lance tilts his head to look at the person behind him. Short, pale blonde hair, with a long ponytail in the back. Bright yellow eyes, and pink claw like markings below both of them on purple skin.  
“Kearzil, you’re not neon anymore. You’re not bleeding. Everyone slowly isn’t bleeding anymore.”  
“You’ve come to trust me, darling.” He gives a questioning look. “What is it?”  
“You all look Galra.”  
“That’s because we are Galra.”  
“But...at the same time you don’t.”  
“That’s because we’re not Galra.” Kearzil laughs. “You look confused. All of us here, besides the girls, aren’t Galra, but we are. We’re Galtean. Super Soldiers for Zarkon. Agile, yet strong.”  
“Is Lotor like you?” Kearzil messes with Lance’s hair, attempting to smooth it out.  
“Yes, but he’s the only one who was born without any markings. Perfect. Beautiful. Flawless in every way.” Kearzil lifts Lance’s hand up. “Your skin is so warm, and the color..You’d be rather flawless yourself, if not for the Ethrite marks.” Lance looks forward into the mirror. His skin is wrapped in a black spandex like fabric. Smooth, yet strong enough to stop a blade. The sleeves end just above his wrists, and black fingerless gloves cover his hands. They remind him of something, but the thought vanishes fast. The collar of the outfit stops just below his chin, and fans out slightly, though most of it clings to his neck like the rest of the outfit to his skin. He looks down at the black boots that tie it all together. Pink, glowing markings line everything.  
“Flawless?” Kearzil smiles.  
“Beautiful. I think Lotor will agree.” A laugh comes from the doorway.  
“Even with the markings he is flawless. Don’t downgrade my prize, Kearzil.” Lance spins around, a large smile forming on his face. His eyes land on the young prince.  
“Lotor!” Lotor smirks.  
“Come, we must go look at weapon selections.”  
“Took long enough. I’ve been waiting for my own outfit and weapon for weeks. I’m sick of the loaners.” They both laugh as Kearzil backs into a corner of the room.  
“Thank you for taking such good care of our Lance, Kearzil.” The Galtean bows his head.  
“Of course, sir.” Lotor begins to walk out of the room, and Lance follows behind.  
“What has he done to your hair, pre initiation. Why must he do that?” Lotor eyes Lance as Lance goes to ruffle up his hair again. “I prefer it a mess, especially now that it’s grown a bit, just enough to be messy.”  
“As do I.”  
“I need to test you again.” Lance lets out a frustrated groan. “It will be one of the last times.”  
“Yes, sir.”  
“Who is our enemy?”  
“The Altean princess, and her followers.”  
“Why?”  
“They have taken what rightfully belongs to the Galra empire.”  
“And that is?”  
“Votlron.”  
“Who are the current Voltron Paladins? What are their names?”  
“Green paladin. Yellow Paladin. Black Paladin. Red Paladin.” He spits out the last one in disgust, and Lotor smirks. Conditioning has gone especially well.  
“What about the Blue Paladin?”  
“They do not have a Blue Paladin. They can not form Voltron. They are broken.”  
“What is our goal?”  
“To kill the Voltron Paladins.” Screams echo through the hall, following a large crash. A wicked grin spreads across Lance’s face as purple crack like markings spread even farther around his eyes. “I believe we should hurry to the weapons, sir. I believe we are being greeted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: due to uncomfortableness I raised Pidge's age to 17 (an incredibly short 17 year old) and lowered Shiro's age to 19. I do this with every overage ship.
> 
> ready for a "lovers quarrel" XD sadly, it is not near end. You guys have yet to meet the black knights. then there will be one final battle between the confused and the protective. note: there will be three ends. The bad end, the god end, and the true end. Have fun.


	19. Confrontation

His grip tightens around the sentry’s neck.  
“Tell me where he is!” A boy growls through clenched teeth. The sentry claws at the boy’s hands, eyes darting, looking for a way out. There is none, and he knows he can’t give in and betray his empire.  
“V-repit Sa!” He slams his hand to his shoulder, hitting a button on his suit barely noticeable. A continuous electric shock bursts through the suit, traveling into the sentry’s captor. The shock explodes, throwing the boy backwards. His ears ring, and everything is hazy. He groans, forcing himself back into a standing position. He stumbles, attempting to regain balance. What is going on? What just happened? That could have been bad if he wasn’t wearing his paladin armor. A voice echoes through the speakers attached to the walls.  
“The Red Paladin is on board. All sentries to your stations. The Galteans will handle this. I repeat, the Galteans will handle this.” Keith’s ears twitch and his vision clears. Galteans? Soon, his question is answered for him. Two figures stand before him. A blonde, wearing a black plague mask, and a rather tight, long jacket. The other wears his hair in a long blue braid. He has a black piece of metal over his eyes with pink markings that glow, and his body suit is probably even tighter than the blonde’s jacket. The blonde is clicking long metal claws attached to his nails against his mask and the other holds a pair of long blades that arch along his arms.  
“We shouldn’t be doing this, Earda. This is the Ethrite’s kill.” The blonde tilts his head to the other, who Keith could only assume is Earda.  
“We are merely holding him off while the Ethrite chooses his weapon.” Keith’s eyes dart back and forth between the two. His stance lowers as he prepares to lunge.  
“The Ethrite? What are you talking about?” They ignore him.  
“Kearzil, this paladin..I can smell the Ethrite on him, and his scent is the other scent on the Ethrite.” Kearzil laughs.  
“This one must have been his mate. This shall be very entertaining.”  
“Entertaining indeed.” Keith’s eyes begin to widen as he thinks. Lance. They’re talking about Lance. A primal rage burns inside him.  
“What have you done to him?” He roars. The begin to laugh, and his rage begins to become overwhelming. Lunging forward with his sword, he meets one of Earda’s blades. The Galtean grins, seemingly peering over his arm at Keith, through his mask.  Keith wishes he could see the Galtean’s eyes. He’d like to claw them out.  
“What a temper this one has. I can see why our Ethrie was attracted” Earda pushes forward, throwing Keith off balance. “Too bad Lotor has laid claim.” Keith goes to scream something, but Earda slices at his stomach. He’s thrown back, but his suit stops the damage.  
“I have laid claim to nothing. He has simply chosen me,” a voice purs from behind them. Earda snaps to attention, jumping to Kearzil’s side, leaving the Red Paladin in clear view. Lotor is standing with an arm snaked around a figure’s waist. A pain archs through Keith’s chest. He recognizes that stance, his shape ,that face. Lance. Lance. Lance. Keith’s heart beats violently to his name. His ears perk up, and he takes a step forward.  
“Lance,” The lost paladin tilts his head to the side, chuckling.  
“Hello Red Paladin.” Keith looks at the familiar crack like markings, and the yellow ees, and everything begins to click into place. The Ethrite.  
“Lance, what have they done to you?” Lance looks questioningly at Lotor.  
“He has said my name twice now. Why does this paladin know my name?”  
“Ignore him.” Lotor shifts so he’s standing behind him, arms dangling across Lance’s chest like jewelry.” I do think now would be a great time to show off your Carnifex.”  
“I’ve never used it before. Things could go,” Lance grins, running his tongue along his teeth, “terribly wrong.” Keith’s eyes fall to a gun in Lance’s hand. It looks light, perfect for Lance. It has a scope and everything. Pink angular designs pulse and glow along the black metal of the gun. Along the bottom of the barrel is a long, silver blade, deadly jagged. “Do you like it? It should work long range, and a closer distance. It’s beautiful.” Keith doesn’t see it coming. Lance wraps his fingers around the blade, his other hand having a glove, that protects his fingers. He quickly lifts up, and fires. Keith is knocked to the ground by the shot, and panics to get up. Lance is already on top of him, aiming the blade at Keith’s face, and slams his gun down. Keith manages to lift his sword to block, his breath picking up in pace.  
“Lance, Lance, stop!” Lance grins again, and shakes his head.  
“You’re dead paladin.” Keith tries to think.  
“Lance, what’s my name?”  
“Red Paladin. It does not matter, anyway.”  
“No! No, my real name. The name given to me by my parents?” Lotor watches, expecting Lance to say Red Paladin again, but he freezes.  
“It’s the- the Red- but,” A shudder runs through his body, and he drops his gun to the side. ‘It’s K...Ke- Kog- Koga-” He scrunches up his face, and bites his lip.” Keith, Keith Kogane.” A smile forms on Keith’s lips, as his eyes widen. Lance looks at him, almost as if caught in a dream. “Yeah, you’re Keith. We had a bonding moment.”  
“Yes Lance! That’s it, remember! It’s me.” He sits up, Lance still in his lap, and wraps his arms around the boy.  
“Keith....what’s happening? I don’t...” Lotor snaps his fingers, and Kearzil throws his arm up. A flash of silver flies through the air, and something hits Lance in the back of the neck. A scream rips from the boy’s throat, and his body begins to writhe.  
“NO!” Keith screams. He moves Lance so he’s laying next to him, and shifts onto his knees. “Lance, Lance!” Earda jumps forward, slamming into Keith, knocking the Paladin away from his mate. Kearzil grabs the screaming boy, and drags him down the hall.  
“Knock him out, and throw him in his lion. Strand him. He’ll be a message to the rest of his team. Kearzil come. We have some doses to give.” Keith scrambles to his feet, keeping his eyes on Earda. A giggle rings through the air. A flash of pink from above. Everything goes black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: Carnifex means butcher or executioner in Latin
> 
>  
> 
> SOOOOORRRRYYYYY it took so long, and it's crap
> 
> but that's because I was working on my own actual book. 
> 
> I was also coming up with other Klance fanfic ideas like Altean Lance, Vampire Lance (no this won't be Twilight. I don't like pixies), Insane Lance in an asylum, and an idea spawned from a post made by SaltyLances on tumblr. (I'm actually writing the first two and fanfics take time, and I apologize)
> 
> HAPPY SAMHAIN


	20. New Alliances?

“Awe, is this poor kitty lost?” A laugh echoes, making the pounding in his head worse as he struggles to open his eyes.  
“Rose, don’t play with your food.” A voice makes an annoyed groan, and someone taps their hand against his head.  
“Wakey wakey, kitty. We need to ask you some questions before we get rid of you.” His eyes finally open, everything blurry. Blobs of green and pink slowly come into focus. A girl with pink skin is bending over him, long, light green hair tumbling in tendrils down her shoulders. Her pink eyes flash a startling image through his head, one word on his lips: Rexa. “Awe, don’t panic. We’re only going to interrogate you then turn you into breakfast.” She flashes a set of jagged teeth and turns her head towards a masked figure. “He’s awake.~”   
Keith looks around, trying to place his surroundings. It’s nothing familiar. He sits in a dark room, few lights, tied to a chair. Two female figures stand before him, the second one approaching him.   
“Now, now, Rose. We want him to like us, not fight us.” She takes her mask off and runs her fingers through a white bob. She keeps her eyes trained on Keith’s, but whispers in his head tell him to look anywhere but her eyes.  
“You’re a Xerfa. You both are” he chokes out. She tilts her head and smiles.  
“Clever boy.” She raises her index finger to her lips and chews on her nail. “Can you tell me what you are? I wanted to say Galra, but no Galra has skin like that. Your purple seems to come in patches.” He stays silent, redirecting his eyes to her lips. He needs to be able to see her without being lost in her trap.   
“It would be wise if you answered her,” the first girl, Rose, pipes up.  
“I’m only part Galra.” She hooks her finger under his chin and tilts his head up, catching his eyes in a better light.  
“One gold, one blue..interesting. What were you doing in a Voltron Lion, Galra?”  
“I’m a Voltron Paladin.” He desperately shifts his eyes away from hers.  
“You’re not one of Lotor’s boys? Why would Voltron have a Galra amongst their ranks?” She spits the Galra prince’s name, creating a curiosity within Keith.  
“The lion chose me. It’s not like anyone on the team had a choice or knew at the time.” A moment of silence. “Seems like you’re not a fan of the prince.” She laughs shaking her head. “May I ask why?”  
“Stole something of mine, a large quantity of it. Something about having found someone who could survive it.” His ears twitch. “You know of what I’m speaking?”   
“You’re a Black Knight.”   
“Smart. How do you know of us?”  
“The princess of the Alteans has some pretty vast knowledge.” He shifts as much as he can and smirks at the woman. “It sounds like you and I have a common enemy.   
“Oh? What has Lotor done?” Keith’s eyes burn brightly.  
“He stole my mate.”


	21. Split

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THERE WILL ONLY BE THREE CHAPTERS LEFT!!!!  
> The three left are actually three different endings: the bad ending, the good ending, and the true ending. This will branch off into a series that will go a little deeper into some things that aren't mentioned as much as they should be. The next "book" in the series will continue from the true ending, and shouldn't have ocs(unless you request certain ocs to appear, but probably not.).  
> The endings will not say which one they are. All three endings will have character deaths. I will not tell you which one is the true end until all three are posted. Have fun living in hell.
> 
> Yes, I know this is an incredibly short chapter, but that's because it's a lead into the endings.
> 
> I also am going to try to upload any art I have done for this to my deviant art>Ikafalling  
> That may take a bit, though.  
> I have drawn but not uploaded: Rexa, Kearzil, Earda, Ethrite Lance, and Keith wearing the Space Emo shirt while listening to Lance's music. I need to draw mixed Keith and some other characters, outfits.

“Oh my stars, you found him!” Allura rushes forward, but Keith steps back.  
“I’m not staying long. I have to get Lance back,” He looks at Shiro’s hand, his fingers tightly wrapped around Keith’s arm. “You can’t keep me here.” Shiro looks at the paladin, frustrated.  
“You want to tell me why you were knocked out in your lion floating aimlessly? You think you have any chance of doing this alone?” Keith smirks.  
“I don’t plan to.” Shiro and Allura look at him, nervous “Shiro, let me go. You know how well this went last time.”  
“We’re worried about you Keith.”  
“Please, talk to us. We can figure this out,” Allura pleads. Keith begins to peel Shiro’s off of him and stand up.  
“No, you’d rather wait till it’s too late. Lance already has Ethrite coursing through his veins. The longer you decide to be a nervous weakling the more he is lost to us.” Allura’s eyes widen as four figures walk into the room, wicked grins, dressed in black. “I met some people willing to listen.” Rose steps forward and giggles, wiggling her fingers in greeting.  
“Sorry about having to get knocked out again, Keith. No one knows where our base is, not even lil miss princess over here.”  
“Black Knights,” she breathes. “You’re...Xerfas” Rose does a round-off, landing in front of Allura and grins big.  
“I hear you’ve let one of your own get taken away by that rotten Lotor.” She makes a tisking noise and wags a finger in the air. “You know you really need to up your security. This place is a bit easy to break into.” Shiro’s hand begins to glow, but a knife flies by his head. A girl, long, grey, twin braids twisting down her body, glares at him.  
“Don’t you think about it.” She snarls. Rose frowns and looks towards Shiro.  
“Don’t worry, we only want to help."


	22. How to Collapse-Bad End

“Eighteen!” Rose shrieks, blowing at the barrel of her pistol. Keith laughs.  
“I’m gonna get you for that little Xerfa. You haven’t even taken down a Galtean yet.”  
“Neither have you!”  
“No, but I’ll take down Lotor.” Keith races down a hall, the sounds of battle around him. He inhales deeply, and turns down the next split he comes to. No sentry can get in his way. As fast as they come at him, they’re down. He won’t let anything get between him and Lance again.  
“Keith! Behind you!” Rose’s voice shrieks. He spins around, blocking a strike from a familiar figure. Earda grins at him.  
“Back again?” Keith doesn’t respond, doesn’t waste a minute. He immediately shoves Earda back, and strikes.This turns into a deadly dance, both struggling for the upper hand.Keith swings his sword and brings it down over his head. Earda blocks with one arms blade and slices with the other. Keith jumps back. Slice. Dodge. Stab. Dodge. Repeat.  
“Come on, Galtean! Is that all you’ve got?” Keith growls. The Galtean spins, moving with speed, and grace. Keith is shocked as one of Earda’s blades comes down across his right cheek.  
“Obviously not.”  
“You’re not the only one with tricks up his sleeve.” Keith moves quickly, and with a flick of the wrist Earda is stumbling backwards. “You know the problem with that uniform? It leaves your stomach open.” Earda’s hands dive towards his stomach, a knife imbedded in it almost to the hilt. Earda falls to the ground and keeps his hands on the knife. Keith approaches him, and he takes a panicked breath.  
“I don’t want to die. I’m not ready.” Keith bends down, yanking his knife from the Galtean’s stomach.  
“Then find something to stop that blood from running.” He goes to leave but gets shoved against a wall. Kearzil stands, breathing heavy.  
“What have you done to my mate?” Keith’s eyes widen as his eyes go from Kearzil to Earda. Earda has one hand clamped over his wound. He’s torn off his mask and is wiping away his tears with his other hand.  
“Mate?” Kearzil raises his hand, metal claws ready.  
“Yes, my mate.” Keith shakes his head, and goes back into focus.  
“What about my mate? You all have harmed him, and torn him from me. What difference is it to me if your mate dies?” Kearzil brings his hand down, but Keith blocks and shoves him forward. He plants a foot on Kearzil’s stomach and pushes, using as much force as he can. It knocks Kearzil to the ground next to Earda. “Help him, and leave. If I see either of you again I’ll slaughter you both.” Keith begins to race forward again, Rose joining him.  
“New suit looks good on you.”  
“I’m not wearing it again after this.”  
“I bet it’s easier to move in.”  
“Stop distracting me.”  
“Never thought we’d make a Black Knights’ suit for a male.”  
“Anyone ever tell you you talk too much?” He slows to a stop, and inhales. This freezes him as eh breathes in an incredibly close, familiar scent. He turns towards a door, very slowly, and begins to shake. “He’s here.” Rose trots over to a screen and keyboard by the dor.  
“It’s going to take a bit to hack this.”  
“Don’t bother.” Keith runs at the door, throwing his shoulder into it, then repeats the process. Rose watches in amazement as each time he hits it creates a deeper dent. Soon Keith rips through it entirely, and ends up stumbling into a large greenhouse like room. Rows and rows of planters fill it up, each with bright purple flowers, veined with neon yellow. Rose gasps.  
“Ethrite! This is our stolen crop!” Keith is ignoring all this. He looks down the path between the planters. It leads to a large chair, a body draped across it. The figure wears a crown of the flowers, and is hooked up to tubes pumping an acid purple liquid into him.  
“Lance!” Keith begins to walk forward. “Lance!” his walk turns into a run. The figure, Lance, begins to stir. His eyes open, and he sits up slowly. Keith laughs and stops in front of the chair. “I was terrified I’d never find you. God, what have they done to you?” Lance looks at him, confusion forming on his face.  
“Who are you?” Keith feels like his heart is about to stop. “I’ve been warned against intruders.” The purple liquid drips from the corner of his mouth as he coughs lightly. He wipes the liquid away with his arm. “I’ve been told to kill them off entirely.” He pulls needles connected to the tubes out of his skin, yanking them out of his arms, the back of his neck, and out of the back of his legs. Lance takes a large stretch, and his eyes land on Keith.  
He wears a pair of tight shorts and a loose tank top, one of its straps slipping down his arm. He’d look nice if it wasn’t for the purple crack-like markings reminding Keith this is not the Lance he knows.The red paladin doesn’t know what to do.  
Lance bends down, reaching into a bag on the ground. He pulls out a large blade, connected to a contraption that locks around his arm, and puts it on. With his other hand he pulls out a small gun.  
“I only wish we weren’t at such a close range. I’m a sharpshooter. Close contact is so strange.” He raises the gun, but Keith is locked in a panic.  
“Keith, watch out!” Rose dives, pushing the red paladin out of the way and gets hit. Electricity courses through her body, strong enough to knock her out. Lance looks down at the girl at his feet.  
“Your suits don’t handle electricity well, do they? I hope she’s not frail or that will have killed her.Takes the fun out of doing it by hand.” He looks towards Keith, and tilts his head to the side. “I have to take care of you first, though.” He raises his bladed arm. “It’s a shame to ruin something so pretty. I wouldn’t mind keeping you.” He brings his arm down, and Keith blocks by instinct.  
“I talked you out of this before, I can do it again!” Keith takes a step back.  
“I have no recollection of you in a prior time.” Lance steps forward. He raises his arm, and brings it down Keith blocks.  
“Come on Lance. It’s Keith.” Back.  
“I do not know you.” Forward. Raise. Strike. Block.  
“Lance, please.” Keith’s eyes begin to water. Back.  
“Do not call me that. I am the Ethrie.” Forward.  
“Please.” Raise.  
“Pleading will get you nowhere.” Strike. Block. Keith is about to be backed into a planter.  
“Do you remember Rexa? Do you remember how mad he made you? How much I upset you by being with him?” Back. Forward. Raise. Strike. Block. Freeze. “Lance, look at your wrists. They scarred, and I wish I could have stopped it from happening.” Lance glances at one of his wrists, and becomes confused. Back. Slow Forward.  
“You need to stop talking.” Quicker raise. Hard Strike. Clumsy block. Keith collides with the planter behind him and has nowhere to run.  
“Lance,” Raise. Divert. Quick swing. Stab forward. Keith begins to shake, and he coughs, something warm running from his lips. “there is no one,” Lance’s eyes begin to fade from yellow to their natural state, and his mind becomes less hazy. He looks down at his arm, and his eyes widen. “I have ever loved,” Shaky pull back. Hands fumble at a planter’s edge. Try to keep balance. Fail. Fall into his arms. Tears slip down Keith’s cheek. “more than you.” Lance holds Keith tight, gently lowering him and himself to the floor. He sits, holding Keith close.  
“No. No. No. What have I done? Keith don’t leave me!” Lance brushes the Red Paladin’s hair out of his face, and begins to rock. A small smile forms on Keith’s lips.  
“There you are. Come a little closer would you?” Lance leans down, and Keith lifts his head up weakly, making their lips meet. Keith puts his hand on the sides of Lance’s face with his last bit of strength. When their lips separate Lance holds one of Keith’s hands, keeping it to his cheek while he sobs. “I love you Lance,” Keith whispers.  
“Goddamnit Mullet. Don’t you dare leave me. Don’t...” Keith’s hand goes limp, lifeless within Lance’s. The light in Keith’s eyes fade. “No, Keith! Keith!” He begins to scream the paladin’s name over and over, shaking him violently. Voices sound around him, but he is so focused on the boy in his arms.  
“Gather our crop. I’ll get the paladin.”  
“We don’t need him.”  
“Black Knights stick to their word, now go!” He feels hands on his shoulders, and is being dragged away. He kicks. He screams. He even claws at the hands of whoever has him, but nothing works.  
“No1 Keith, no! KEITH!” Something is clamped over his mouth and nose, and everything fades to black.  
\----------  
“I found him clinging to one of Keith’s shirts this morning.” Allura takes a shaky breath. “He’s been completely unresponsive. Won’t come out of Keith’s room.”  
“Is he eating?”  
“No. The other paladins have been asking questions. What do I tell them.”  
“The truth.”  
“Like you told the truth about Lance being okay? “  
“Allura.”  
“What if he ends up being rushed to the healing pods again?”  
“Stop.”  
“What if it happens again? Are we just going to ignore it?”  
“Allura, I didn’t want to overwhelm him. You don't just attack someone with questions after something like that, and you’re not going to do it in this situation. You have to be gentle.”  
“I know....I’m just worried.”  
“Shiro?” Shiro and Allura looks up at the sound of a voice that sounds as if it hasn’t been used in a while. Lance stands in the doorway clutching Keith’s jacket to his chest with one hand, his other pressed into the doorframe.  
He’s always been skinny to start with, but he’s lost a lot of weight, and the markings of the Ethrite still haven’t completely faded. His skin is torn and aggravated like it’s been itched too much, and his eyes are bloodshot. Shiro stands up slowly.  
“How are you doing?” Lance ignores this and his eyes wander the kitchen.  
“Do you know where Keith is? He’s been gone for a while. I don’t know why he left.” He locks eyes with Shiro. “Have I...done something wrong?” His voice cracks. Shiro and Allura exchange worried looks. Allura stand up forward slowly, and gently rests a hand on his shoulder.  
“Lance,” she says in a soft voice, “Lance, Keith isn’t coming back.” The Blue Paladin looks down at the jacket in his hand.  
“He left his jacket,” he whispers. “You don’t think he’ll come back for it?” Allura’s lip quivers and her eyes glisten with tears.  
“Lance. Keith....he’s not....he passed away.” Lance jerks backward, throwing her off him.  
“Why would you lie to me? Shiro, why is she lying?” A tear slips down his cheek, and Shiro walks towards Lance.  
“I think you need to rest. Are you okay with that, Lance?” He says in a soft tone. Lance nods, almost robotically, and Shiro leads him down the hall. “We’re going to get through this, Lance. You’re strong. You’re going to be okay.’  
“Where are we going?”  
“You’re room.” Lance tries to tug away.  
“I’m going to Keith’s room. Maybe he’ll be back when I wake up.” Shiro takes a deep breath, nods, and lets go.  
“Then we’re going to have to sit down and have a talk, okay?” Lance nods and lets his feet take him to the Red Paladin’s room. He stands, looking around the room for a bit.  
“Keith, you’re not coming back are you?” He reaches in his pocket, and pulls out something sharp, and glittering. He then glances at his other arm. “I don’t want to wait.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Keith went just as fast as his temper goes off!  
> that was terrible  
> I'm sorry.  
> I'll at least tell you this isn't the true ending. Have fun trying to figure out if this is the bad ending or not. When the other one goes up you'll have trouble figuring out if this is it or if the other one is.  
> Um, also I'm going to be drawing things from this fanfic to go on redbubble as stickers..if ya'll wanna support me.  
> Redbubble username: Flytte67
> 
>  
> 
> https://www.redbubble.com/people/flytte67/works/29234204-ethrite?asc=u&p=sticker&rel=carousel first sticker up. If you can't copy paste just look up my username


	23. Pull Me Down Good End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay this is the good ending. The other was the bad ending  
> the only good thing about this: it's shorter XD
> 
> okay, ya'll ready for the true ending?

“These don’t look durable.”  
“Quit your fussing. It’ll help you move better.”  
“Blades of Marmora uniforms look more durable than this.” Rose slaps at Keith’s fussing hands.  
“Quit it! We need to get ready to move. Remember, quiet and fast. We need to remain unnoticed for as long as we can. That’s how we ensure getting the crop, and your paladin.” Rose looks towards the vent and raises her hand to her ear, fingers brushing against a headset.  
“Hearen you loud and clear.” She nods, and pushes the vent open. “You first little Galra.” He shakes his head, and pushes past her.  
“Don’t call me little.” He drops down, landing silently. A couple others land next to him, and they begin to walk. He keeps to the walls, timing out guard rotations, slipping through the hall.  
“Smell the air. Find his scent.”  
“I ca-”  
“You’re part Galra of course you can.” Keith looks at her, uncertain, but takes a deep breath anyway. Something catches his attention. “Find something you recognize?” He nods slowly.  
“It’s masked, though. There’s two other scents. Don’t like...either of them.”  
“I’d say that’s your route then.”  
“You’re not coming?”  
“I don’t want to get involved in a death match like that. You can handle it. Just be prepared for anything you find, and if angered don’t rip the ship apart before my team gets off.  
“Why would I...” Rose disappears around the corner and Keith shakes his head. He follows the scent, turning down several halls and arrives at a large door. “He’s here. He’s here. He’s here.” His mind pounds.  
Keith pushes the door open to reveal a large bed, satin draped around it, hanging from the ceiling. He can barely see through the black satin, but he can at least make out a figure lying among the sheets. The Red Paladin takes a nervous step forward to see through the gap in the satin. Bare caramel skin. Brown hair fallen around an elegant face. Panic.  
“Lance?” he breathes. The figure stirs, shifting to their other side, sheets tumbling from their legs, and slipping off the side of the bed.  
“I wouldn’t bother him.” Keith’s head jerks up to see Lotor standing in the doorway of the bathroom to the side of the bed. His ears tilt back, and he feels a snarl playing on his lips. “You won’t like what happens if you do.” The figure sits up, completely revealing Lance. He rubs at his eyes and looks towards Lotor.  
“Lotor..what are you doing up?” His hand lays on the empty space next to him on the bed, and doesn’t even notice Keith. A pain archs through Keith’s chest, and is too shocked to speak.  
“Just dealing with some things. Why don’t you get dressed?” Lance nods, tired. He slips out of the bed and disappears behind Lotor, into the bathroom. Lotor’s eyes meet with Keith’s and his lips twist into a sickening grin. “Is there a problem, paladin?”  
“That’s...he’s my..”  
“Your nothing. He seems to have gotten better taste.” Keith takes a ragged breath, and lifts his sword.  
“You’re not going to get away with this.” Lotor shakes his head, looking at his nails.  
“I already have.” He looks over his shoulder and into the bathroom. “My little Ethrite, darling, weren’t you saying earlier that you’re bored?”  
“Yes,” Lance’s voice rings from the bathroom.  
“Well, I found someone for you to play with?” Lance peeks his head out into the room, and his eyes land on lance. A sleepy smirk forms on his face.  
“Did a pest stumble into our room? I am incredibly happy to take care of him for you.” Keith’s eyes dart from Lotor to Lance.  
“This isn’t happening.” Lotor chuckles at this.  
“I believe it is. If it makes you feel any better he isn’t in his right mind. Ethrite muddled his mind. He follows me blindly.” Lotor hooks a finger under Lance’s chin, Lance staring into the Galtean’s eyes. “We’ll make it come from the heart soon enough.” Lotor let’s go and Lance walks towards Keith.  
“I don’t have a weapon.”  
“Oh darling, you can kick his ass without one.” Lance shrugs and goes in for a hook. Keith blocks it with both arms but freezes before he goes into the rest of the defense. A knee goes up, hard, and Keith stumbles backward, dropping his sword. Quickly regaining balance, pushing through the pain, he stands his ground. The Red Paladin searches the yellow of Lance’s eyes. Eyes are the window to a person, but Keith sees nothing in these.  
“I miss those gorgeous blue eyes,” he whispers. He sidesteps one of Lance’s attacks. “And that soft skin, untainted.” Neither of them have noticed Lotor is no longer in the room.  
“Shut up,” Lance growls, one eye twitching.  
“The little upturn the corner of your lips do when you’re amused.” Keith is backed into the bed. He dives over it, rolling to protect himself when he lands. He shoots up, jumping back when Lance lands in front of him. “The way you made me lay with you when you were sick. I fought, but I’m glad you won.” He skids to the side as Lance’s fist shoots out and ends up colliding with the wall.  
“Be quiet!” Keith shakes his head, taking a step back.  
“And most of all I love the way you say my name.” Dodge. “How your lips feel against mine.” Doge. Keith’s eyes water. “How I can’t love anyone more than I love you, but you’ve fallen so far, dragged down so deep, and Lance- I can’t fix this without your help.” Keith reveals his knife from it’s hiding place.” And I can’t fight you either.” The boy in front of Keith looks at him, confused. Keith holds the knife out, and Lance takes a slow step forward.  
“This is a trick.” Keith shakes his head.  
“I’m not going to hurt you.” Lance’s body jerks, and he holds a hand to his head. “I love you, Lance.”  
“Love?” The boy’s voice is soft as it shakes. Lance, looks at Keith once more, and shakily takes the knife.  
“With all of my being.” Lance’s eyes begin to change. The yellow fades.  
“K-Keith?”  
“Lance!” The knife tumbles from Lance’s fingers, and his eyes begin to water. Tears slip down his cheeks, and Keith rushes forward taking Lance into his arms. They hold each other tight, Lance still trying to regain his senses. His eyes wander the room.  
“Where’d......Lotor go?” Keith shakes his head, holding Lance tight.  
“All that matters is you. I’ll take care of him later.” Panic fills Lance.  
“No. No, it matters. He’s always watchi-” A scream rips from his throat as electricity runs through his suit. It travels into Keith, and they both feel an unbearable pain. It doesn’t last long. Soon, both paladins lay on the ground, life fading fast. A figure walks into the room and laughs.  
“I knew the electricity in the suits was a good idea.” The figure kicks at the paladins’ hands, still clasped together through some unexplainable force. “Love, what a dangerous thing.”


	24. Teach Me to Unravel    -True End

Keith looks down at his bayard, and sighs.  
“Thanks for getting the team together, Shiro.” He feels a hand rest on his shoulder, and looks up into dark grey eyes.  
“We’re a team, and nothing is going to stop us from saving one of our own.”  They sit in silence as Keith stares down a hallway. “He’s close isn’t he?” Keith makes a small nod. “Hey, we fought through sentries, and galteans to get here. Go after him.”  
“What if he’s no Lance anymore...my Lance?”  
“There’s only one way to find out.” Shiro gently pushes him forward. Keith takes a deep breath, balls his hands into fists, and begins to walk.  
“I don’t understand why he’s so far down in the ship.” Keith whispers to himself. He smells the air. Lance’s scent is getting stronger the more distance he covers. The red paladin also begins to notice the silence. They may have fought through a lot of people to get here, but there is no way there isn’t any security when Lotor seems to have invested so much into Lance. Something isn’t right. Keith swallows his nerves and pushes himself forward.  
The hallway leads to a single door, black, with a pink eye on it. This is definitely the room, and it makes Keith nervous. He doesn’t want anything to change, but there isn’t any avoiding it. He takes a step towards it, the door opening. This reveals Lance , chained up, beaten and broken. The Red Paladin gasps, rushing forward.  
“Lance, Lance?” He puts his hand on the side of the blue paladin’s  face, caressing his cheek. “Please be alive,” he whispers. “Please be alive.” Lance’s eyelashes twitch and Keith sighs in relief. “Let’s get you down from here. He goes to mess with the chains, but to his surprise they fall away. He doesn’t second guess it, he keeps going. “Lance, I’m gonna need you to wake up, can you do that for me. The paladin’s eyes flutter, and he groans. “Come on Lance, we’ve gotta go.” His eyes open so slow it’s almost painful. “There we go, can you stand?”  
“Keith?”  
“Yes, it’s me. Can you stand?”  
“I hurt.”  
“Come on, you have to try.” He hooks an arm around Lance, throwing his arm over his shoulder. “You can do this.” He helps the battered boy up, taking on a bit more weight than he was expecting. He stumbles to the side but regains his balance.  
“Keith?” He pauses before beginning to move forward.  
“Yeah?”  
“Thank you,” Lance whispers weakly. Keith smiles and begins to trudge forward, Lance trying to help, with a limp. They struggle out of the room, and down the hall.  
“Stars, you’ve caused trouble. When I get you home I’m tying you up and keeping you in my room so you can’t do anything else.” A hoarse chuckle escapes Lance’s lips.  
“Kinky,” Keith rolls his eyes, trying to keep moving forward. A flash of pink darts in front of him, and he slows to a stop.  
“Hello?” A flash behind, and he jerks his head to look over his shoulder. Paranoid, Keith gently helps Lance lean against a wall and looks around. “Who’s there?” A giggle. Green hair. “Rose..?” She steps in front of him, flashing him a toothy grin, and curtsies.  
“At your service.” He goes to relax but his body can’t seem to get off high alert.  
“Did you guys.....find your Ethrite crop?” She nods, and her eyes shift towards Lance slowly.  
“I see you found your paladin.”  
“I..did.”  
“Very interesting boy. Lotor must have pumped him with tons of Ethrite.”  
“And?” Her eyes dart towards Keith, and he almost jumps back, a surge of unreasonable feeling going through him.  
“He’s not just going to get over it. He must...have developed a need...he must have evolved.” She takes a step towards Lance but Keith moves inbetween them. “I think we should take him with us.”  
“Hell no.”  
“Step out of the way little Glara.”  
“Where’s your commander?” Rose chuckles.  
“She’s not the commander, I am.”  
\------  
Lance sits on the floor, back against the wall. He doesn’t know when he passed out again, he barely remembers Keith coming to get him, but he can hear the noises of fighting as he slips in and out of consciousness. He wants to help, but a heavy feeling has a hold of his body. He could barely help Keith walk him down the hall. He will not be able to fight. The next point of consciousness he hears a scream ring through the hall and feels a familiar arm around him again.  
“Keith?”  
“Y-yeah.” The red paladin takes a shaky breath. “I’m here. I’m here...we’re going to get out of here.”  
“Is everythn..alrih,” His words slur slightly, and he tries to hold it together. He hears a tear filled laugh.  
“Yes baby, everything is alright. We’re almost there.” Lance doesn’t remember anything after till he woke up in the healing pod.  
“I should be dead,” he thinks to himself. “I should be dead.” He stumbles out of the pod, to be caught my black fingerless gloves, red jacket, concerned eyes.  
“Lance,” a voice breathes. He tries to take in his surroundings but all he can see is Keith. He knows there are others in the room, but the worry in his eyes, the care in his voice, it drags him down.  
“Keith, what happened? Is-”  
“Oh shut up you idiot!” Keith’s arms hook around Lance’s waist and he brings their lips together.  
“Aye, Aye!” Pidge shrieks in the background. Some scattered claps, laughs, and whistles echo through the room, but the couple ignores it. What matters right now is each other.  
“Hey guys, we need a mission report.” Coran tries to interrupt, but Keith twists around, a glare in his eyes.  
“Screw your mission report!” His fingers lace around Lance’s wrist, and he pulls  him while he begins to walk out of the room. He gets to his room, and pulls Lance close kissing him aggressively, lovingly, possessively. Whatever emotion he has he doesn’t care. They’re all swirling, colliding, and coming together one beautiful mess. Keith backs up, the blue paladin’s arms wrapped tightly around his waist. The two end up tripping, falling gracelessly on the bed. Laughter erupts from their both, and they lay entangled together. Their eyes wander over each other, taking in every detail, as if to make sure they’re both there. This isn’t a dream. This is real.  
“I’m having so many thoughts, they’re all screaming over each other,” Lance whispers.  
“Then sing for me?”  
“What?”  
“Drown them out.” Keith smiles. “Sing for me. No instruments, no music. Just sing for me.” Lance returns Keith’s smile and brushes hair out of his face gently.  
“I’d be lying if I said I’ve never thought of dying alone, but I’m so vulnerable to just about everyone, and only one friend knows me,” Keith intertwines his fingers with Lance’s letting himself sink into the song. “I find when another year is over, when there’s so little to account for...oh what happened to the days of being happy? If I told you what I’m feeling, do you promise you’ll stay? When we were little did you think you would be living in the middle with someone like me? I won’t care for myself. I can’t care for myself. I’ll try to be a little bit stronger, cause if I’m waiting any longer there’ll be no souls beside me. Be mine. I will appreciate your beauty. You’ll doubt you ever even knew me. Oh, I just want to make you happy.......”

 

Fin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that was a disappointing, crap, rushed ending but I hope I made it up to you guys, at least a little.  
> Song at the end: Care by Bry  
> I'm ready to plunge into the next work, which won't have any ocs and it'll just be Klangst and Klance, and healing Lance, and Keith coming to terms with his own hothead.  
> Then I also have other fanfics to do.  
> Get ready for Klance titles like Caliginous, Cheap Tricks, Otherland, and Nine Lives  
> I also have one up that only has like 2 things up- Thirst  
> support me on Patreon! It's Flytte  
> I love you all  
> Happy New Year

**Author's Note:**

> Kay....so this is uh  
> like...my first fanfic here  
> It's my first I'm actually going to take seriously  
> This is all really inspired from my martial arts class, and the fact I really like the idea of Klance but Lance is depressed, and can sing, and speak spanish.  
> I also really like the idea of -------------------- spoilers.  
> WOOOH yay for crap fanfics  
> I will also have funfacts on where I was writing chapters, and what I was doing
> 
>  
> 
> Chapter One:  
> At the Obon Festival while they were preforming Bon Odori  
> On the couch watching Fury Road  
> In the car traveling from Utah, through Wyoming, back to Utah


End file.
